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THE

LITURGICAL YEAR

CHRISTMAS.

Digitized by the Internet Archive

in 2012 with funding from

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

http://archive.org/details/liturgicalyear03gura

THE

LITURGICAL YEAR.

BY THE

YERY REY. DOM PROSPER GUERANGER,

ABBOT OF SOLESMES.

ftranalakh horn fye $tztufy,

BY THE

EEV. DOM LAUEENCE SHEPHERD,

HONE OF THE ENGLISH-BENEDICTINE CONGREGATION.

CHRISTMAS.

VOL. II.

DUBLIN:
JAMES DUFFY, 15, WELLINGTON-QUAY;

AND

22, PATERNOSTER-ROW, LONDON.
1868.

UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA
AT CHAPEL MLL

DUBLIN :

Itinttis bo 1. gt. ©'toie * ^on,
6(6 7, Great Brunswick-st.

CONTENTS.

CHRISTMAS.

i*AUE

Chapter I. — The History of Christmas, ... 1
Chap. II. — The Mystery of Christmas, ... 7
Chap. III. — Practice during Christmas, . . .17
Chap. IV. — Morning and Night Prayers for Christ-
mas, 34

Chap. V. — On hearing Mass, during the Season

of Christmas, 51

Chap. YL — On Holy Communion, during Christ-
mas, 88

Chap. Vll. — On the Office of Vespers for Sundays

and Feasts, during Christmas, . . 98
Chap. VIIL — On the Office of Compline, during

Christmas, 109

The Epiphany of our Lord, 121

First Vespers, 130

Mass, 136

Second Vespers, . . . .144
Sunday within the Octave of the Epiphany, . 156

Mass, ibid.

Vespers, 162

January 7. — The Second Day within the Octave of

the Epiphany, . . . .165
January 8. — The Third Day within the Octave of

the Epiphany, . . . .175

^l

VI CONTENTS.

PAGE

January 9. — The Fourth Day within the Octave of

the Epiphany, . . . .190
January 10. — The Fifth Day within the Octave of

the Epiphany, . . . .203
January 11. — The Sixth Day within the Octave of

the Epiphany, .... 214
Same Day. — Commemoration of Saint Hyginus,

Pope and Martyr, . . . 224
January 12. — The Seventh Day within the Octave of

the Epiphany, .... 226

January 13. — The Octave of the Epiphany, . . 236

Mass 241

Second Sunday after the Epiphany, and Feast
of the Most Holy Name of

Jesus, 256

Mass, 263

Vespers, 270

January 14. — Saint Hilary, Bishop, Confessor, . 281

January 15. — Saint Paul, the First Hermit, . . 299

Same Day. — Saint Maurus, Abbot, . . . 304

January 16. — Saint Marcellus, Pope and Martyr, 315
January 17. — Saint Antony, Abbot, . . .319

January 18. — Saint Peter's Chair at Rome, . 330

January 19. — Saint Canute, King and Martyr, . 351
January 20. — Saint Fabian, Pope and Martyr, and

Saint Sebastian, Martyr, . 356

January 21. — Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr, . 368
January 22. — Saints Vincent and Anastasius,

Martyrs, 387

January 23. — Saint Raymund of Pegnafort, Con-
fessor, 403

Same Day. — Saint Ildephonsus, Bishop and Con-
fessor, 412

January 24. — Saint Timothy, Bishop and Martyr, . 418

January 25. — Conversion of Saint Paul, . . 423

January 26. — Saint Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr, 435

Same Day.— Saint Paula, Widow, . . . 441
January 27. — Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop and

Doctor of the Church, . . 449

CONTENTS.

Vll

PAGE

January 28. — Saint Agnes, her Second Feast, . 465

Same Day. — Blessed Charlemagne, Emperor, . 467
January 29. — Saint Francis of Sales, Bishop, . 484
January 30. — Saint Maetina, Virgin and Martyr, . 496
January 31.— Saint Peter Nolasco, Confessor, . 502
The First Vacant Day after January 13. — Saint

Titus, Bishop and Confessor, . 508
February 1. — Saint Ignatius, Bishop and Martyr, . 513
February 2. — The Purification of the Blessed Vir-
gin, 520

Its Mystery, ibid.

First Vespers, 529

Blessing of the Candles, . . . 532

Procession, 540

Mass, 543

Second Vespers, .... 549
Third Sunday after the Epiphany, . . .569

Mass, 570

Vespers, 577

Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, . . .579

Mass, ibid.

Vespers, 583

Septuagesima Sunday, 584

Mass, . ibid.

Vespers, 588

Sexagesima Sunday, 590

Mass, ibid.

Vespers, 595

QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY, 597

Mass, ibid.

Vespers, 601

Concluding Prayer, . 603

CHRISTMAS.

CHAPTER THE FIRST.

THE HISTOEY OF CHEISTMAS.

We apply the name of Christmas to the forty days,
which begin with the Nativity of our Lord, Decem-
ber 25th, and end with the Purification of the
Blessed Virgin, February 2nd. It is a period, which
forms a distinct portion of the Liturgical Year, as
distinct, by its own special spirit, from every other,
as are Advent, Lent, Easter, or Pentecost. One same
Mystery is celebrated and kept in view during the
whole forty days. Neither the Feasts of the Saints,
which so abound during this Season ; nor the Time of
Septuagesima, with its mournful Purple, which often
begins before Christmastide is over ; — seem able to
distract our Holy Mother the Church, from the im-
mense joy, of which she received the good tidings
from the Angels,1 on that glorious Night, for which
the world had been longing four thousand years.
The Faithful will remember, that the Liturgy com-
memorates this long expectation, by the four peni-
tential weeks of Advent.

The custom of celebrating the Solemnity of our
Saviour's Nativity by a feast or commemoration of

1 St. Luke, ii. 10.

B

2 CHRISTMAS.

forty-days' duration, is founded on the holy Gospel
itself; for it tells us, that the Blessed Virgin Mary,
after spending forty days in the contemplation of
the Divine Fruit of her glorious Maternity, went
to the Temple, there to fulfil, in most perfect
humility, the ceremonies which the Law demanded
of the daughters of Israel, when they became Mo-
thers.

The Feast of Mary's Purification is, therefore, part
of that of Jesus' Birth ; and the custom of keeping
this holy and glorious period of forty-days as one
continued Festival, has every appearance of being
a very ancient one, at least in the Roman Church.
And firstly, with regard to our Saviour's Birth on the
25th of December, we have St. John Chrysostom
telling us, in his Homily for this Feast, that the Wes-
tern Churches had, from the very commencement of
Christianity, kept it on this day. He is not satisfied
with merely mentioning the tradition ; he undertakes
to show, that it is well-founded, inasmuch as the
Church of Rome had every means of knowing the
true day of our Saviour's Birth, since the acts of
the Enrolment, taken in Judea by command of
Augustus, were kept in the public archives of Rome.
The holy Doctor adduces a second argument, which
he founds upon the Gospel of St. Lake, and he rea-
sons thus : we know from the sacred Scriptures, that
it must have been in the fast of the seventh month1
that the Priest Zachary had the vision in the
Temple ; after which. Elizabeth, his wife, conceived
St. John the Baptist : hence it follows, that the
Blessed Virgin Mary, having, as the Evangelist St.
Luke relates, received the Angel Gabriel's visit, and
conceived the Saviour of the world in the sixth

1 Lev. xxiii. 24 and following verses. The seventh month (or
Tlsri) corresponded to the end of our September and beginning
of our October. Tr.

HISTOEY OF CHEISTMAS. 3

month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, that is to say, in
March, — the Birth of Jesus must have taken place
in the month of December.

But, it was not till the fourth century that the
Churches of the East began to keep the Feast of
our Saviour's Birth in the month of December. Up
to that period, they had kept it, at one time, on the
sixth of January, thus uniting it, under the generic
term of Epiphany, with the Manifestation of our
Saviour made to the Magi, and, in them, to the
Gentiles ; at another time, as Clement of Alexandria
tells us, they kept it on the 25th of the month
Pachon, (May 15,) or on the 25th of the month
Pharmuth, (April 20). St. John Chrysostom, in
the Homily we have just cited, which he gave in
386, tells us that the Roman custom of celebrating
the Birth of our Saviour on the 25th December,
had then only been observed ten years in the Church
of Antioch. It is probable that this change had
been introduced in obedience to the wishes of the
Apostolic See, wishes which received additional
weight by the edict of the Emperors Theodosius
and Valentinian, which appeared towards the close
of the fourth century, and decreed that the Nativity
and Epiphany of our Lord should be made two
distinct Festivals. The only Church, that has main-
tained the custom of celebrating the two mysteries
on January 6th, is that of Armenia; owing, no doubt,
to the circumstance of that country's not being
under the authority of the Emperors ; as, also,
because it was withdrawn, at an early period, from
the influence of Borne, by schism and heresy.

The Feast of our Lady's Purification, with which
the forty days of Christmas close, is, in the Latin
Church, of very great antiquity ; so ancient, indeed, as
to preclude the possibility of our fixing the date of its
institution. According to the unanimous opinion of
Liturgists, it is the most ancient of all the Feasts of

4 CHEISTMAS.

the Holy Mother of God ; and as her Purification is
related in the Gospel itself, they rightly infer, that its
anniversary was solemnised at the very commence-
ment of Christianity. Of course, this is only to be
understood of the Roman Church ; for, as regards
the Oriental Church, we find that this Feast was
not definitively fixed to the 2nd of February, until the
reign of the Emperor Justinian, in the sixth century.
It is true that the Eastern Christians had, previously
to that time, a sort of commemoration of this Mystery;
but it was far from being a universal custom, and it
was kept a few days after the Feast of our Lord's
Nativity, and not on the day itself of Mary's going
up to the Temple.

But, what is the characteristic of Christmas in
the Latin Liturgy ? It is twofold : it is joy, which
the whole Church feels at the coming of the divine
Word in the Flesh ; and it is admiration of that
glorious Virgin, who was made the Mother of God.
There is scarcely a prayer, or a rite, in the Liturgy
of this glad Season, which does not imply these two
grand mysteries : — an Infant-God, and a Virgin-
Mother.

For example, on all Sundays and Feasts, which
are not Doubles, the Church, throughout these forty
days, makes a commemoration of the fruitful vir-
ginity1 of the Mother of God, by three special
Prayers in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. On those
same days, at Lauds and Vespers, she begs the
suffrage of Mary, by proclaiming her quality of
Mother of God and her inviolate purity,2 which
remained in her even after she had given birth to
her Son. And again, the magnificent Anthem, Alma
Medemptoris, composed by the Monk Herman

1 The Collect, Deus qui salutis seternse beatse Marise Virgini-
tate fozcunda humano generi, &c.

2 V. Post partum, Virgo, inviolata permansisti. B. Dei Geni-
trlx, intercede pro nobis.

HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS. 5

Contractus, continues, up to the very day of the
Purification, to be the termination of each Canoni-
cal Hour. It is by such manifestations of her love
and veneration, that the Church, honouring the
Son in the Mother, testifies her holy joy during this
season of the Liturgical Year, which we call Christ-
mas.

Our readers are aware that, when Easter Sunday
falls at its latest — that is, in April — the Ecclesiastical
Calendar counts as many as six Sundays after the
Epiphany. Christmastide, (that is, the forty days
between Christmas Day and the Purification,) in-
cludes sometimes four out of these six Sundays ;
frequently only two ; and sometimes, only one, as
is the case when Easter comes so early, as to neces-
sitate the keeping Septuagesima, and even Sexa-
gesima, Sunday, in January. Still, nothing is
changed, as we have already said, in the ritual obser-
vances of this joyous season, excepting only, that
on those two Sundays — the fore-runners of Lent —
the Vestments are purple, and the Gloria in excelsis
is omitted.

Although our holy Mother the Church honours,
with especial devotion, the Mystery of the Divine
Infancy during the whole season of Christmas : yet,
she is obliged to introduce, into the Liturgy of this
same season, passages from the holy Gospels, which
seem premature, inasmuch as they relate to the
active life of Jesus. This is owing to there being
less than six months allotted by the Calendar for
the celebration of the entire work of our Redemption :
in other words, Christmas and Easter are so near
each other, (even when Easter is as late as it can
be,) that Mysteries must of necessity be crowded
into the interval ; and this entails anticipation. And
yet, the Liturgy never loses sight of the Divine
Babe and his incomparable Mother, and never tires
in their praises, during the whole period, from the

6 CHRISTMAS.

Nativity, to the day when Mary comes to the Temple
to present her Jesus.

The Greeks, too, make frequent commemorations
of the Maternity of Mary, in their Offices of this
Season : but, they have a special veneration for the
twelve days between Christmas Day and the Epi-
phany, wdiich, in their Liturgy, are called the Dode-
eameron. During this time, they observe no days of
Abstinence from flesh-meat ; and the Emperors of
the East had, out of respect for the great Mystery,
decreed that no servile work should be done, and
that the Courts of Law should be closed, until after
the 6th of January.

From this outline of the History of the holy Season,
we can understand what is the characteristic of this
second portion of the Liturgical Year, which wre
call Christmas, and which has ever been a Season
most dear to the christian world. What are the
Mysteries embodied in its Lituigy, wrill be shown
in the following Chapter.

CHAPTER II.

THE MYSTERY OF CHRISTMAS.

Everything is Mystery in this holy Season. The
Word of God, whose generation is before the day-star?
is born in time — a Child is God — a Virgin becomes a
Mother, and remains a Virgin — things divine are
commingled with those that are human — and the
sublime, the ineffable, antithesis, expressed by the
Beloved Disciple in those words of his Gospel : The
Word was made flesh, is repeated in a thousand
different ways in all the prayers of the Church ; — and
rightly, for it admirably embodies the whole of the
great portent, which unites, in one Person, the nature
of Man and the nature of God.

The splendour of this Mystery dazzles the under-
standing, but it inundates the heart with joy. It is
the consummation of the designs of God in time. It
is the endless subject of admiration and wonder to
the Angels and Saints ; nay, is the source and cause
of their beatitude. Let us see, how the Church offers
this Mystery to her children, veiled under the sym-
bolism of her Liturgy.

The four weeks of our preparation are over — they
were the image of the four thousand years, which pre-
ceded the great Coming — and we have reached the
Twenty-fifth day of the Month of December, as a long-
desired place of sweetest rest. But, why is it, that
the celebration of our Saviour's Birth should be the
perpetual privilege of this one fixed day ; whilst the
whole liturgical Cycle has, every year, to be changed

1 Ps. cix. 3.

8 CHRISTMAS.

and remodelled, in order to yield that ever-varying
day, which is to be the feast of his Resurrection —
Easter Sunday ?

The question is a very natural one, and we find it
proposed and answered, even so far back as the fourth
century ; and that, too, by St. Augustine, in his cele-
brated Epistle to Januarius. The holy Doctor offers
this explanation : We solemnise the day of our
Saviour's Birth, in order that we may honour that
Birth, which was for our salvation ; but the precise
day of the week, on which He was born, is void of any
mystical signification. Sunday, on the contrary, the
day of our Lord's Resurrection, is the day marked,
in the Creator's designs, to express a mystery, which
was to be commemorated for all ages. St. Isidore of
Seville, and the ancient Interpreter of Sacred Rites,
(who, for a long time, was supposed to be the learned
Alcuin,) have also adopted this explanation of the
Bishop of Hippo ; and our readers may see their
words interpreted by Durandus, in his Rational.

These writers, then, observe, that as, according to a
sacred tradition, the creation of man took place on a
Friday, and our Saviour suffered death also on a Fri-
day, for the redemption of man ; that as, moreover,
the Resurrection of our Lord was on the third day
after his death, that is, on a Sunday, which is the day
on which the Light was created, as we learn from the
Book of Genesis — "the two Solemnities of Jesus'
" Passion and Resurrection," says St. Augustine, " do
" not only remind us of those divine facts ; but they
" moreover represent and signify some other niyste-
" rious and holy thing."1

And yet, we are not to suppose, that, because the
Feast of Jesus' Birth is not fixed to any particular
day of the week, there is no mystery expressed by
its being always on the Twenty-fifth of December.

1 Epist. Ad Januarium.

MYSTEKY OF CHRISTMAS. 9

For, firstly, we may observe with the old Liturgists,
that the Feast of Christmas is kept, by turns, on each
of the Days of the week, that thus its holiness may
cleanse and rid them of the curse, which Adam's sin
had put upon them. But, secondly, the great mystery
of the Twenty-fifth of December, being the Feast of
our Saviour's Birth, has reference, not to the division
of time marked out by God himself, and which is
called the Week ; but to the course of that great Lu-
minary, which gives life to the world, because it gives
it light and warmth. Jesus, our Saviour, the Light
of the World,1 was born when the night of idolatry
and crime was the darkest ; and the day of his Birth,
the Twenty-fifth of December, is that on which the
material Sun begins to gain his ascendancy over the
reign of gloomy night, and show to the world his
triumph of brightness.

In our "Advent," we showed, after the Holy
Fathers, that the diminution of the physical light
may be considered as emblematic of those dismal
times, which preceded the Incarnation. We joined
our prayers with those of the people of the Old Testa-
ment ; and, with our holy Mother the Church, we
cried out to the Divine Orient, the Sun of Justice,
that he would deign to come, and deliver us from
the twofold death of body and soul. God has heard
our prayers ; and it is on the Day of the Winter Sol-
stice— which the Pagans of old made so much of by
their fears and rejoicings — that he gives us both the
increase of the natural light, and Him who is the
Light of our souls.

St. Gregory of Nyssa, St. Ambrose, St. Maximus
of Turin, St. Leo, St. Bernard, and the principal
Liturgists, dwell with complacency on this profound
mystery, which the Creator of the universe has willed
should mark both the natural and the supernatural

1 St. John, viii. 12.

10 CHRISTMAS.

world. We shall find the Church, also, making con-
tinual allusion to it, during this season of Christmas,
as she did in that of Advent.

" On this the Day which the Lord hath made," says
St. Gregory of Nyssa, " darkness decreases, light in-
" creases, and Night is driven back again. No,
" Brethren, it is not by chance, nor by any created
" will, that this natural change begins on the Day,
" when He shows Himself in the brightness of his
" coming, which is the spiritual Life of the world.
" It is Nature revealing, under this symbol, a secret
" to them whose eye is quick enough to see it ; to
" them, I mean, who are able to appreciate this cir-
" cumstance of our Saviour's coming. Nature seems
" to me to say : Know, O Man ! that under the things
" which I show thee, there lie Mysteries concealed.
" Hast thou not seen the Night, that had grown so
" long, suddenly checked ? Learn hence, that the
" black night of Sin, which had got to its height by
" the accumulation of every guilty device, is this day
" stopped in its course. Yes, from this day forward,
" its duration shall be shortened, until at length there
" shall be naught but Light. Look, I pray thee, on
" the Sun ; and see how his rays are stronger, and his
" position higher in the heavens : learn from that,
" how the other Light, the Light of the Gospel, is now
" shedding itself over the whole earth."1

" Let us, my Brethren, rejoice," cries out St. Augus-
tine :2 "this Day is sacred, not because of the visible
" sun, but because of the Birth of Him, who is the
" invisible Creator of the sun. * * He chose this
" Day to be born on, as he chose the Mother he was
" to be born from, and he made both the Day and the
" Mother. The Day he chose, was that on which the
" light begins to increase, and it typifies the work of
" Christ, who renews our interior man, day by day

1 Homily on the Nativity. 2 Sermon on the Nativity of our Lord, iii.

MYSTERY OF CHRISTMAS. 11

" For the eternal Creator having willed to be born in
" time, his Birth Day would necessarily be in harmony
" with the rest of his creation."

The same Holy Father, in another Sermon for the
same Feast, gives us the interpretation of a mys-
terious expression of St. John Baptist, which admi-
rably confirms the tradition of the Church. The great
Precursor said on one occasion, when speaking of
Christ : He must increase, but I must decrease.1
These prophetic words signify, in their literal sense,
that the Baptist's mission was at its close, because
Jesus was entering upon his. But, they convey, as
St. Augustine assures us, a second meaning : " John
" came into this world at the season of the year,
" when the length of the day decreases ; Jesus was
" born in the season when the length of the day in-
" creases."2 Thus, there is mystery both in the rising
of that glorious Star, the Baptist, at the summer-
solstice ; and in the rising of our Divine Sun in the
dark season of winter.3

There have been men, who dared to scoff at Chris-
tianity as a superstition, because they discovered,
that the ancient Pagans used to keep a Feast of the
sun, on the winter Solstice ! In their shallow erudi-
tion, they concluded, that a Religion could not be
divinely instituted, which had certain rites or customs

1 John, iii. 30.

2 Sermon In Natali Domini, xi.

3 It is almost unnecessary to add, that this doctrine of the Holy
Fathers, which is embodied in the Christmas Liturgy, is not in
any degree falsified by the fact that there are some parts of God's
earth, where Christmas falls in a Season the very opposite of
Winter. Our Lord selected, for the -place of his Birth, one which
made it Winter, when he came upon earth ; and by that selection,
he stamped the Mystery, taught in the text, on the Season of
darkness and cold. Our Brethren in Australia, for example,
will have the Mystery without the Winter, when they are keeping
Christmas ; or, more correctly, their faith and the Holy Liturgy
will unite them with us, both in the Winter, and the Mystery, of
the great Birth in Bethlehem. [Translator's Note.]

12 CHRISTMAS.

originating in an analogy to certain phenomena of
this world : in other words, these Writers denied what
Revelation asserts, namely, that God only created this
world for the sake of his Christ and his Church. The
very facts, which these enemies of our holy Religion
brought forward as objections to the true Faith, are,
to us Catholics, additional proof of its being worthy
of our most devoted love.

Thus, then, have we explained the fundamental
Mystery of these Forty Days of Christmas, by having
shown the grand secret hidden in the choice, made by
God's eternal decree, that the Twenty-fifth Day of
December should be the Birth-day of God upon this
earth. Let us, now, respectfully study another mys-
tery : — that which is involved in the place, where this
Birth happened.

This place is Bethlehem. Out of Bethlehem, says
the Prophet, shall He come forth, that is to be the
Ruler in Israel.1 The Jewish Priests are well
aware of the prophecy, and, in a few days hence,
will tell it to Herod.2 But, why was this insignifi-
cant Town chosen, in preference to every other, to
be the Birth-place of Jesus ? Be attentive, Chris-
tians, to the mystery ! The name of this City of
David signifies the House of Bread: therefore did
He, who is the living Bread come down from hea-
ven? choose it for his first visible home. Our
Fathers did eat manna in the desert, and are
dead ;4 but, lo ! here is the Saviour of the world,
come to give life to his creature Man, by means of
his own divine Flesh, which is meat indeed.5 Up
to this time, the Creator and the creature had
been separated from each other ; — henceforth they
shall abide together in closest union. The Ark of
the Covenant, containing the manna which fed but

1 Mich. v. 2. 4 St. John, vi. 49.

2 St. Matt. ii. 5. b Ibid. 56.

3 St. John, vi. 41.

MYSTEKY OF CHRISTMAS. 13

the body, is now replaced by the Ark of a New
Covenant, purer and more incorruptible than the
other — the incomparable Virgin Mary, who gives us
Jesus, the Bread of Angels, the nourishment which
will give us a divine transformation ; for, this Jesus
himself has said : He that eateth my flesh abideth in
me, and I in 1dm.1

It is for this divine transformation that the
world was in expectation for four thousand years, and
for which the Church prepared herself by the four
weeks of Advent. It has come at last, and Jesus is
about to enter within us, if we will but receive him.2
He asks to be united to each one of us in particular,
just as he is united, by his Incarnation, to the whole
human race ; and for this end, he wishes to become
our Bread, our spiritual nourishment. His coming
into the souls of men, at this mystic season, has no
other aim than this union. He comes, not to judge
the world, but that the world may be saved by him,3
and that all may have life, and may have it more
abundantly.4" This divine Lover of our souls will
not be satisfied, therefore, until he have substituted
himself in our place, so that we may live not we
ourselves, but He in us ; and in order that this mys-
tery may be effected in a sweeter way, it is under
the form of an Infant that this Beautiful Fruit of
Bethlehem wishes first to enter into us, there to
grow, afterwards, in wisdom and age, before God
and men.5

And when, having thus visited us by his grace
and nourished us in his love, he shall have changed
us into himself, there shall be accomplished in us a
still further mystery. Having become one in spirit
and heart with Jesus — the Son of the heavenly

1 St. John, vi. 57. 4 St. John, x. 10.

2 Ibid. i. 12. 5 St. Luke, ii. 40, 52.

3 Ibid. iii. 17.

14 CHRISTMAS.

Father — we shall also become Sons of this same God
our Father. The Beloved Disciple speaking of this
our dignity, cries out : Behold ! what manner of
charity the Father hath bestoived upon us — that we
should be called, and shouM be the Sons of God I1
We will not now stay to consider this immense
happiness of the Christian soul, as we shall have a
more fitting occasion, further on, to speak of it, and
show by what means it is to be maintained and in-
creased.

There is another subject, too, which we regret
being obliged to notice only in a passing way. It is,
that, from the Day itself of our Saviour's Birth even
to the Day of our Lady's Purification, there is, in
the Calendar, an extraordinary richness of Saints'
Feasts, doing homage to the master-feast of Bethle-
hem, and clustering, in adoring love, round the Crib
of the Infant-God. To say nothing of the four great
Stars, which shine so brightly near our Divine Sun,
and from whom they borrow all their own grand
beauty — St. Stephen, St. John the Evangelist, the
Holy Innocents, and our own St. Thomas of Can-
terbury:— what other portion of the Liturgical Year
is there, that can show, within the same number
of days, so brilliant a constellation ? The Apostolic
College contributes its two grand Luminaries, St.
Peter and St. Paul : the first, in his Chair of Rome ;
the second, in the miracle of his Conversion. The
Martyr-host sends us the splendid champions of
Christ, Timothy, Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp, Vin-
cent, and Sebastian. The radiant line of Roman
Pontiffs lends us four of its glorious links, named,
Sylvester, Telesphorus, Hyginus, and Marcellus.
The sublime school of Holy Doctors offers us Hilary,
John Chrysostom, and Ildephonsus; and in their
company stands a fourth Bishop — the amiable Francis

] I. St. John, iii. 1.

MYSTERY OF CHRISTMAS. 15

of Sales. The Confessor-kingdom is represented by
Paxil the Hermit, Anthony the conqueror of Satan,
Maurus the Apostle of the Cloister, Peter Nolasco
the deliverer of Captives, and Raymond of Penna-
fort, the oracle of Canon Law and Guide of the
consciences of men. The army of Defenders of the
Church deputes the pious King Canute, who died in
defence of our Holy Mother, and Charlemagne, who
loved to sign himself " the humble champion of
" the Church." The choir of Holy Virgins gives us
the sweet Agnes, the generous Emerentiana, the
invincible Martina. And lastly, from the saintly
ranks which stand below the Virgins — the Holy
Widows — we have Paula, the enthusiastic lover of
Jesus' Crib. Truly, our Christmastide is a glorious
festive season ! What magnificence in its Calendar !
What a banquet for us in its Liturgy !

A word upon the Symbolism of the colours, used by
the Church during this Season. White is her Christ-
mas-Vestment ; and she employs this colour at every
Service, from Christmas Day to the . Octave of the
Epiphany. To honour her two Martyrs, Stephen and
Thomas of Canterbury, she vests in Heel; and to
condole with Rachel wailing her murdered Inno-
cents, she puts on Purple; but these are the only
exceptions. On every other day of the twenty, she
expresses, by her White Robes, the gladness to which
the Angels invited the world, the beauty of our
Divine Sun that has risen in Bethlehem, the spotless
purity of the Virgin-Mother, and the clean-hearted-
ness which they should have, who come to worship
at the mystic Crib.

During the remaining twenty days, the Church
vests in accordance with the Feast she keeps ; she
varies the colour so as to harmonise, either with the
red Roses which wreathe a Martyr, or with the white
Everlastings which grace her Bishops and her Con-
fessors, or again, with the spotless Lilies which crown

16 CHRISTMAS.

her Virgins. On the Sundays which come during
this time — unless there occur a Feast of a Double
class, requiring Red or White ; or, unless Septuage-
sima has begun its three mournful weeks of prepara-
tion for Lent — the colour of the Vestments is Green.
It is, say the interpreters of the Liturgy, to teach
us, that, in the Birth of Jesus, who is the flower
of the fields} we first received the hope of salvation,
and that, after the bleak winter of heathendom and
the Synagogue, there opened the verdant spring-
time of grace.

With this we must close our mystical interpre-
tation of those rites which belong to Christmas
in general. Our readers will have observed that
there are many other sacred and symbolical usages,
which we have not even alluded to ; but, as the
mysteries, to which they belong, are peculiar to
certain Days, and are not, so to speak, common to
this portion of the Liturgical Year; we intend to
treat fully of them all, as we meet with them on
their proper Feasts.

1 Cant. i. 1.

CHAPTER III.

PRACTICE DURING CHRISTMAS.

The time has now come for the faithful soul to reap
the fruit of the efforts she made, (during the peniten-
tial weeks of Advent,) to prepare a dwelling-place
for the Son of God, who desires to be born within
her. The Nuptials of the Lamb are come, and
his Spouse hath prepared herself} Now, the Spouse
is the Church ; the Spouse is, also, every faithful soul.
Our Lord gives his "whole self to the whole flock,
and to each sheep of the flock, with as much love
as though he loved but that one. What garments
shall we put on, to go and meet the Bridegroom ?
Where shall we find the pearls and jewels, where-
with to deck our soul for this happy meeting ? Our
holy Mother the Church will tell us all this in her
Liturgy. Our best plan for spending Christmas, is,
undoubtedly, to keep close to her, and do what she
does ; for she is most dear to God, and, being our
Mother, we ought to obey all her injunctions.

But, before we speak of the mystic Coming of
the Incarnate Word into our souls ; before we tell
the secrets of that sublime familiarity between the
Creator and the Creature ; let as, first, learn from the
Church the duties, which human nature, and each
of our souls, owe to the Divine Infant, whom the
Heavens have at length given to us as the refresh-
ing Dew we asked them to rain down upon our
earth. During Advent, we united with the Saints
of the Old Law, in praying for the coming of the

1 Apoc. xix. 7.

C

18 CHRISTMAS.

Messias, our Redeemer ; now that he is come, let us
consider what is the homage we must pay him.

The Church offers to the Infant-God, during this
holy season, the tribute of her profound adoration,
the enthusiasm of her exceeding joy, the return of
her unbounded gratitude, and the fondness of her
intense love. These four offerings, adoration, joy,
gratitude, and love, must be also those of every
Christian to his Jesus, his Emmanuel, the Babe of
Bethlehem. The prayers of the Liturgy will express
all four sentiments, in a way that no other Devo-
tions could do. But, the better to appropriate to
ourselves these admirable formulae of the Church,
let us understand thoroughly the nature of each of
these four sentiments.

The first of our duties at our Saviour's Crib, is
Adoration. Adoration is Religion's first act ; but,
there is something in the Mystery of our Lord's
Birth, which seems to make this duty doubly neces-
sary. In heaven, the Angels veil their faces, and
prostrate themselves before the throne of Jehovah ;
the Four- and-T wen ty Elders are for ever casting
their crowns before the throne1 of the Lamb ; what,
then, shall we do — we who are sinners, and un-
worthy members of the Tribe of the Redeemer — now,
that this same great God shows himself to us,
humbled, for our sakes, and stript of all his glory ?
now, that the duties of the creature to his Creator
are fulfilled by the Creator himself ? now, that the
eternal God bows down, not only before the Sove-
reign Majesty of the Godhead, but even before sinful
man, his creature?

Let us endeavour to make, by our profound adora-
tions, some return to the God who thus humbles
himself for us ; let us thus give him back some little
of that, of which he has deprived himself out of love

1 Apoc. iv. 10.

PRACTICE DURING CHRISTMAS. 19

for us, and in obedience to the will of his Father. It
is incumbent on us, to emulate, as far as possible, the
sentiments of the Angels in heaven, and never to
approach the Divine Infant, without bringing with
us the incense of our soul's adoration, the protesta-
tion of our own extreme unworthiness, and, lastly,
the homage of our whole being. All this is due to
the infinite Majesty of the Babe of Bethlehem,
who is the more worthy of every tribute we can pay
him, because he has made himself thus little for
our sakes. Unhappy we, if the apparent weakness
of the Divine Child, or the familiarity wherewith he
is ready to caress us, should make us negligent in
this our first duty, or forget what He is, and what
we are !

The example of his Blessed Mother will teach us
to be thus humble. Mary was humble in the pre-
sence of her God, even before she became his Mother ;
but, once his Mother, she comported herself before
Him who was her God and her Child, with greater
humility than ever. We, too, poor sinners, sinners
so long and so often, we must adore, with all the power
of our soul, Him, who has come down so low : we must
study to find out how to make him amends, by our
self-humiliation, for this Crib, these swathing-bands,
this eclipse of his glory. And yet, all our humilia-
tions will never bring us so low, as that we shall be
on a level with His lowliness. No ; only God could
reach the humiliations of God.

But our Mother, the Church, does not only offer to
the Infant-God the tribute of her profound adoration.
The mystery of the Emmanuel, that is, of God with
us, is to her a source of singular joy. Look at her
sublime Canticles for this holy Season, and you will
find the two sentiments admirably blended — her
deep reverence for her God, and her glad joy at his
Birth. Joy ! did not the very Angels come down
and urge her to it ? She therefore studies to imitate

20 CHRISTMAS.

the blithe Shepherds, who ran for joy to Bethlehem,1
and the glad Magi, who were well-nigh out of them-
selves with delight, when, on quitting Jerusalem,
the star again appeared and led them to the Cave
where the Child was? Joy at Christmas is a
Christian instinct, which originated those many
Carols, which, like so many other beautiful traditions
of the ages of Faith, are unfortunately dying out
amongst us ; but which Rome still encourages, gladly
welcoming each year those rude musicians, the
Pifferari, who come down from the Apennines, and
make the streets of the Eternal City re-echo with
their shrill melodies.

Come, then, faithful Children of the Church, let us
take our share in her joy ! This is not the season for sigh-
ing or for weeping. For unto us a Child is bom !B
He, for whom we have been so long waiting is
come ; and he is come to dwell amongst us.* Great,
indeed, and long was our suspense ; so much the more
let us love our possessing him. The day will too
soon come when this Child, now born to us, will
be the Man of Sorrows? and then we will com-
passionate him; — but, at present, we must rejoice
and be glad at his coming, and sing round his Crib,
with the Angels. Heaven sends us a present of its
own joy : we need joy, and Forty Days are not too
many for us to get it well into our hearts. The
Scripture tells us, that a secure mind is like a
continual feast,6 and a secure mind can only be
where there is peace ; now, it is Peace, which these
blessed days bring to the earth; Peace, say the
Angels, to men of good will !

Intimately and inseparably united with this ex-
quisite mystic joy, is the sentiment of gratitude.
Gratitude is indeed due to Him, who, neither de-

1 St. Luke, ii. 16. 3 Is. ix. 6. 5 Is. liii. 3.

2 St. Matth. ii. 10. 4 St. John, i. 14. 6 Prov. xv. 15.

PKACTICE DURING CHRISTMAS. 21

terred by our un worthiness, nor restrained by the
infinite respect which becomes his sovereign Majesty,
deigned to be born of his own creature, and have a
stable for his birth-place. Oh ! how vehemently
must he not have desired to advance the work of
our salvation, to remove everything which could
make us afraid of approaching him, and to encourage
us, by his own example, to return, by the path of
humility, to the heaven we had strayed from by
pride !

Gratefully, therefore, let us receive the precious
gift — this Divine Babe, our Deliverer. He is the
Only Begotten Son of the Father, that Father who
hath so loved the world, as to give his Only Son.1 He,
the Son, unreservedly ratifies his Father's will, and
comesto offer himself because it is his own will.2 How,
as the Apostle expresses it, hath not the Father,
with Him, given us all things f 0 gift inesti-
mable ! How shall we be able to repay it by
suitable gratitude, we who are so poor, as not to
know how to appreciate it ? God alone, and the
Divine Infant in his Crib, know the value of the
mystery of Bethlehem, which is given to us.

Shall our debt, then, never be paid ? Not so :
we can pay it by love, which though finite, gives
itself without measure, and may grow for ever in
intensity. For this reason, the Church, after she
has offered her adorations, and hymns, and grati-
tude, to her Infant Saviour, gives him also her
tenderest Love. She says to him : " How beautiful
" art thou, my Beloved One, and how comely /* How
" sweet to me is thy rising, 0 Divine Sun of Justice!
" How my heart glows in the warmth of thy beams !
" Nay, dearest Jesus, the means thou usest for gain-
" ing me over to thyself, are irresistible — the feeble-

1 St. John, iii. 16. 3 Rom. viii. 32.

2 Is. liii. 7. 4 Cant. i. 15.

22 CHRISTMAS.

" ness and humility of a Child !" Thus do all her
words end in love ; and her adoration, praise, and
thanksgiving, when she expresses them in her
Canticles, get transformed into love.

Christians ! let us imitate our Mother, and give
our hearts to our Emmanuel. The Shepherds offer
him their simple gifts, the Magi bring him their
rich presents, and no one must appear before the
Divine Infant, without something worthy his accep-
tance. Know, then, that nothing will please him,
but that which he came to seek — oar love. It was
for this that he came down from heaven. Hard
indeed is that heart which can say, He shall not
have my love !

These, then, are the duties we owe to our Divine
Master in this his first Corning, which, as St. Bernard
says, is in the flesh and in weakness, and is for
the salvation, not for the judgment, of the world.

As regards that other Coming, which is to be
in majesty and power on the Last Day, we have
meditated upon it during Advent. The fear of the
Wrath to come should have roused our souls from
their lethargy, and have prepared them, by humility
of heart, to receive the visit of Jesus in that secret
Coming, which he makes to the soul of man. It
is the ineffable mystery of this intermediate Coming
that we are now going to explain.

We have shown, elsewhere, how the time of Advent
belongs to that period of the spiritual life, which
is called, in Mystic Theology, the Purgative Life,
and during which the soul cleanses herself from sin
and the occasions of sin, by the fear of God's judg-
ments, and by combating against evil concupiscence.
We are taking it for granted, that every faithful
soul has journeyed through these rugged paths,
and which must be gone through, before she could
be admitted to the Feast, to which the Church in-
vited all mankind, saying to theui, on the Saturday

PRACTICE DURING CHRISTMAS. 23

of the Second Week of Advent, those words of the
Prophet Isaias : Lo I this is our God : we have
waited for him ; and he will save us. We have
patiently waited for him, and we shall rejoice
and be joyful in his Salvation !l As in the house
of our heavenly Father there are many mansions?
so likewise, on the grand Solemnity of Christmas,
when those words of Isaias are realised, the Church
sees, amongst the countless throng who receive the
Bread of Life, a great variety of sentiments and dis-
positions. Some were dead, and the graces, given
daring the holy Season of Advent, have restored
them to life : others, whose spiritual life had long
been healthy, have so spent their Advent, that its
holy exercises have redoubled their love of their
Lord, and their entrance into Bethlehem has been
to them a renewal of their soul's life.

Now, every soul that has been admitted to Beth-
lehem, that is to say, into the House of Bread, and
has been united with Him, who is the Light of the
World — that soul no longer walks in darkness. The
mystery of Christmas is one of Illumination; and the
grace it produces in the soul that corresponds with it,
places her in the second stage of the Mystic Life,
which is called the Illuminative Life. Hence-
forward, then, we need no longer weary ourselves
watching for our Saviour's arrival ; he has come,
he has shone upon us, and we are resolved to keep
up the light, nay, to cherish its growth within us,
in proportion as the Liturgical Year unfolds its
successive seasons of mysteries and graces. God
grant that we may reflect in our souls the Church's
progressive development of this divine Light; and
be led by its brightness to that Union, which crowns
both the year of the Church, and the faithful soul
which has spent the year under the Church's gui-
dance !

1 Is. xxv. 3 St. John xiv. 2.

24 CHRISTMAS.

But, in the mystery of Christmastide, this Light
is given to us, so to speak, softened down ; our weak-
ness required that it should be so. It is, indeed,
the Divine Word, the Wisdom of the Father, that
we are invited to know and imitate ; but this Word,
this Wisdom, are shown us under the appearance of
a Child. Let nothing keep us from approaching
him. We might fear were he seated on a throne in
his palace ; but he is lying on a crib in a stable !
Were it the time of his Fatigues, his Bloody Sweat,
his Cross, his Burial, or even of his Glory and
his Victory, we might say we had not courage
enough : — but, what courage is needed to go near
him in Bethlehem, where all is sweetness, and silence,
and a simple Little Babe ! Come to him, says the
Psalmist, and be enlightened I1

Where shall we find an interpreter of this twofold
mystery, which is wrought at this holy season — the
mystery of the Infancy of Jesus in the soul of man,
and the mystery of the infancy of man's soul in his
Jesus ? None of the Holy Fathers has so admirably
spoken upon it as St. Leo : let us listen to his grand
words.

" Although that Childhood, which the majesty of
" the Son of God did not disdain to assume, has de-
" veloped, by growth of age, into the fulness of the
" perfect man, and, the triumph of his Passion and
" Resurrection having been achieved, all the humilia-
" tions he submitted to, for our sakes, are passed ;
" nevertheless, the Feast we are now keeping brings
" back to us the sacred Birth of the Virgin Mary's
" Child, Jesus our Lord. So that, whilst adoring his
" Birth, we are, in truth, celebrating our oiun com-
" mencement of life ; for the Generation of Christ, is
" the origin of the Christian people, and the Birth
" Day of him that is our Head, is the Birth Day

1 Ps. xxxiii. 6.

PRACTICE DURING CHRISTMAS. 25

" of us that are his Body. It is true, that each
" Christian has his own rank, and the children of the
" Church are born each in their respective times ; yet
" the whole mass of the Faithful, once having been
" regenerated in the font of Baptism, are born, on
"this Day of Christmas, together with Christ; just
" as they are crucified together with him in his
" Passiou, and have risen together wTith his Resur-
" rection, and in his Ascension are placed at the
" right hand of the Father. For, every believer, no
" matter in what part of the world he may be living,
" is born again in Christ ; his birth according to
"nature is not taken into account; he becomes a
" new man by his second birth ; neither is he any
" longer called of the family of his father in the flesh,
" but of the family of our Redeemer, who unto this
" was made a Son of Man, that we might become the
" Sons of God."1

Yes, this is the Mystery achieved in us by the holy
Season of Christmas ! It is expressed in those words
of the passage from St. John's Gospel, which the
Church has chosen for the third Mass of the great
Feast: As many as received Him, he gave them
'power to he made the Sons of God, to them that be-
lieve in his name ; who are bom, not of blood, nor
of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but
of God? So that, all they, who — having purified their
souls, freed themselves from the slavery of flesh and
blood, and renounced everything which is of man
inasmuch as man means sinner — wash now to open
their hearts to the Divine Word, that is, to the Light
which shineth in darkness, and which darkness did
not comprehend,2, these, I say, are born with Jesus ;
they are born of God ; they begin a new life, as did
the Son of God himself, in this mystery of his Birth
in Bethlehem.

1 Sixth Sermon On the Nativity of our Lord. Ch. 2.

2 St. John, i. 12. 3 Ibid. 5.

26 CHRISTMAS.

How beautiful are these first beginnings of the
Christian Life ! How great is the glory of Bethlehem,
that is, of our holy Mother the Church, the true
House of Bread ! for, in her midst, there is produced,
during these days of Christmas, and everywhere
throughout the world, a countless number of sons of
God. Oh ! the unceasing vitality of our mysteries !
As the Lamb, who was slain from the beginning of
the world,1 sacrifices himself, without ceasing, ever
since his real sacrifice ; so also, once born of the Holy
Virgin his Mother, he makes it a part of his glory to
be ceaselessly born in the souls of men. We are not,
therefore, to think, for a moment, that the dignity of
Mary's divine Maternity is lessened, or that our souls
enjoy the same grand honour which was granted to
her : far from that, " let us," as Venerable Bede says,
" raise our voice from amid the crowd, as did the
" woman in the Gospel, and say to our Saviour, with
" the Catholic Church, of which that woman was the
" type : Blessed is the Womb that bore thee, and the
" Breasts that gave thee such ! "2 Mary's prerogative
is indeed incommunicable, and it makes her the
Mother of God, and the Mother of men. But, we
must also remember the answer made by our Saviour
to the woman, who spoke those words : Yea rather,
said Jesus, blessed are they who hear the word of
God, and keep it;3 "hereby declaring," continues
Venerable Bede, " that not only is She blessed, who
" merited to conceive in the flesh the Word of God,
" but they, also, who endeavour to conceive this same
" Word spiritually, by the hearing of faith, and to
" give him birth and nourish him, by keeping and
" doing what is good, either in their own or their
" neighbour's heart. For the Mother of God herself
" was Blessed in that she was made, for a time, the

1 Apoc. xiii. 8.

2 Commentary on St. Luke, Bk. 4, Ch. 49.

3 St. Luke, xi. 28.

PRACTICE DURING CHRISTMAS. 27

" minister to the wants of the Incarnate Word ; but
" much more Blessed was she, in that she was and
" ever will be the keeper and doer of the love due to
" that same her Son."

Is it not this same truth which our Lord teaches
us on that other occasion, where he says : Whosoever
shall do the will of my Father, that is in heaven, he
is my brother, and sister, and mother I1 And why-
was the Angel sent to Mary in preference to all the
rest of the daughters of Israel, but because she had
already conceived the Divine Word in her heart, by
the vehemence of her undivided love, the greatness
of her profound humility, and the incomparable
merit of her virginity ? Why, again, is this Blessed
among women holy above all creatures, but because,
having once conceived and brought forth the Son of
God, she continues for ever his Mother, by her
fidelity in doing the will of the heavenly Father, by
her love for the uncreated light of the Divine Word,
and by her union as Spouse with the Spirit of sanc-
tification ?

But, no member of the human race is excluded
from the honour of imitating Mary, though at an
humble distance, in this her spiritual Maternity : for,
by that real Birth which she gave him in Bethlehem,
which we are now celebrating, and which initiated
the world into the mysteries of God, this ever Blessed
Mother of Jesus has shown us how we may bear the
resemblance of her own grand prerogative. We
ought to have prepared the way of the Lord'2 during
the weeks of Advent ; and if so, our hearts have con-
ceived him : therefore, now, our good works must
bring him forth, that thus our heavenly Father, see-
ing not us ourselves, but his own Son, Jesus, now
living within us, may say of each of us, in his mercy,
what he heretofore said, in very truth, of the Incar-

1 St. Matth. xii. 50. 9 St. Matth. iii. 3 ; Is. xl. 3.

28 CHEISTMAS.

nate Word : This is my beloved Son, in whom I
am well pleased.1

Let us give ear to the words of the Seraphic Saint
Bonaventure, who, in one of his sermons for Christ-
mas Day, thus explains the mystery of the birth of
Jesus in the soul of man. " This happy birth hap-
" pens, when the soul, prepared by long thought and
" reflection, passes at length to action ; when the flesh
"being made subject to the spirit, good works are
" produced in due time : then do interior peace and
"joy return to the soul. In this birth, there is
" neither travail, nor pain, nor fear ; everything is
" admiration, and delight, and glory. If then, 0 de-
" vout soul ! thou art desirous for this birth, imagine
" thyself to be like Mary. Mary signifies bitterness ;
" bitterly bewail thy sins : it signifies illuminatrix ;
" be thou illumined by thy virtues : and lastly, it sig-
" nifies Mistress ; learn how to be mistress and
" controller of thy evil passions. Then will Christ
" be born of thee, and oh ! with what happiness
"to thyself! For, it is then that the soul tastes
"and sees how sweet is her Lord Jesus. She ex-
periences this sweetness, when, in holy medita-
" tion, she nourishes this Divine Infant ; when she
" covers him with her tears ; when she clothes him
" with her holy longings ; when she presses him to
" her heart in the embrace of holy tenderness ;
" when, in a word, she cherishes him in the warmth
" of her glowing love. O happy Crib of Bethlehem !
" in thee I find the King of glory : but happier
" still than thou, the pious soul which holds within
" itself Him, whom thou couldst hold but cor-
" porally \"

Now, that we may pass on from this spiritual con-
ception to the birth of our Lord Jesus ; in other
words, that we may pass from Advent to Christmas,

1 St. Matth. iii. 17.

PRACTICE DURING CHRISTMAS. 29

Tve must unceasingly keep the eyes of our soul on
Him, who wishes to be born within us, and in whom
the world is born to a new life. Our study and am-
bition should be, how best to become like Jesus, by
imitating him ; for, though the imitation must needs
be imperfect, yet we know from the Apostle, that our
heavenly Father himself gives this as the sign of the
elect — their being made like to the image of his Son.1

Let us, therefore, hearken to the invitation of the
Angels, and go over to Bethlehem.2 We know what
sign will be given to us of our Jesus — a Child wrap-
ped in swaddling-clothes, and laid in a crib.3 So
that, you, O Christians ! must become children ; you
must -not disdain to be tied in the bands of a spiri-
tual childhood; you must come down from your proud
spirit, and meet your Saviour who has come down
from heaven, and, with him, hide yourselves in the
humility of the crib. Thus will you begin, with him,
a new life. Thus will the Light, that goeth forwards
and increaseth even to perfect day,4" illumine your
path the whole remaining length of your journey.
Thus the sight of God which leaves room for faith,
and which you receive at Bethlehem, will merit for
you the face-to-face vision on Thabor, and prepare
you for the blissful Union, which is not merely
Light, but the plentitude and repose of Love.

So far, we have been speaking only of the living
members of the Church, whether they began the life
of grace during the holy Season of Advent, or were
already living in the grace of the Holy Ghost when
the ecclesiastical Year commenced, and spent their
Advent in preparing to be born with Jesus to a new
year of higher perfection. But, how shall we over-
look those of our Brethren, who are dead in sin ; and
so dead, that neither the Coming of their Emmanuel,

1 Rom. viii. 29. 3 St. Luke, ii. 12.

2 St. Luke, ii. 15. 4 Prov. iv. 18.

30 CHRISTMAS.

nor the example of the Christians throughout the
universal Church earnestly preparing for that coming,
could rouse them ? No, we cannot forget them : we
love them, and come to tell them, (for even now,
they may yield to grace, and live,) — that there hath
appeared the goodness and kindness of God our
Saviour.1 If this volume of ours should perchance fall
into the hands of any of those, who have not yielded
to the solicitations of grace, which press them to
be converted to the sweet Babe of Bethlehem, their
Lord and their God ; and who, instead of spending
the weeks of Advent in preparing to receive Him at
Christmas, lived them out, as they began them, in
indifference and in sin : — we shall, perhaps, be help-
ing them to a knowledge of the grievousness of their
state, by reminding them of the ancient discipline of
the Church, which obliged all the Faithful, under
pain of being considered as no longer Catholics, to
receive Holy Communion on Christmas Day, as well
as on Easter and Whit Sundays. We find a formal
decree of this obligation given in the fifteenth Canon
of the Council of Agatha, (Agde,) held in 506. We
would, also, ask these poor sinners to reflect on the
joy the Church feels, at seeing, throughout the whole
world, the immense number of her children, who still,
in spite of the general decay of piety, keep the Feast
of the Birth of the Divine Lamb, by the sacramental
participation of his Body and Blood.

Sinners ! take courage ; this Feast of Christmas is
one of grace and mercy, on which all, both just and
sinners, meet in the fellowship of the same glad Mys-
tery. The heavenly Father has resolved to honour
the Birth-day of his Son, by granting pardon to all,
save to those who obstinately refuse it. Oh ! how
worthy is the Coming of our dear Emmanuel to be
honoured by this divine amnesty !

1 Tit. iii. 4.

PRACTICE DURING CHRISTMAS. 31

Nor is it we that give this invitation ; it is the
Church herself. Yes, it is she, that with divine au-
thority, invites you to begin the work of your New
Life, on this Day, whereon the Son of God begins the
career of his human life. That we may the more
worthily convey to you this her invitation, we will
borrow the words of a great and saintly Bishop of the
Middle- Ages — the pious Rabanus Maurus — who, in
a Homily on the Nativity of our Lord, encourages
sinners to come and take their place, side by side
with the just, in the stable of Bethlehem, where even
the ox and the ass recognise their Master in the Babe
who lies there.

" I beseech you, dearly beloved Brethren, that you
'receive with fervent hearts the words our Lord
' speaks to you, through me, on this most sweet Feast,
' on which even infidels and sinners are touched with
' compunction ; on which the wicked man is moved
' to mercy, the contrite heart hopes for pardon, the
' exile despairs not of returning to his country, and
' the sick man longs for his cure ; on which is born
' the Lamb who taketh away the sins of the world,
' that is, Christ, our Saviour. On such a Birth Lay,
'he that has a good conscience, rejoices more than
' usual ; and he whose conscience is guilty, fears with
* a more useful fear. * * Yes, it is a sweet Feast,
' bringing true sweetness and forgiveness to all true
' penitents. My little Children, I promise you with-
'out hesitation — that every one, who, on this Lay,
' shall repent from his heart, and return not to the
' vomit of his sins, shall obtain all whatsoever he shall
' ask ; let him only ask with a firm faith, and not re-
turn to sinful pleasures.

" On this Lay, is taken away the sins of the entire
world — why needs the sinner despair ? * * On
this Lay of our Lord's Birth, let us, dearest Brethren,
offer our promises to this Jesus, and keep them, as
it is written : Vow ye, and pay to the Lord your

32 CHRISTMAS.

" God.1 Let us make our promises with confidence
" and love ; He will enable us to keep them * *
" And when I speak of promises, I would not have
" any one think that I mean the promise of fleeting
" and earthly goods. No — I mean, that each of us
"should offer what our Saviour redeemed, namely,
K our soul. ' But how,' some one will say, ' how shall
" ' we offer our souls to Him, to whom they already
" ' belong V I answer — by leading holy lives, by chaste
" thoughts, by fruitful works, by turning away from
" evil, by following that which is good, by loving God,
" by loving our neighbour, by showing mercy, (for we
"ourselves were in need of it, before we were re-
" deemed,) by forgiving them that sin against us, (for
"we ourselves were once in sin,) by trampling on
"pride, since it was by pride that our first Parent
" was deceived and fell."2

It is thus our affectionate Mother the Church in-
vites sinners to the Feast of the Divine Lamb ; nor
is she satisfied until her House be filled.3 The grace
of a New Birth, given her by the Sun of Justice, fills
this Spouse of Jesus with joy. A new year has be-
gun for her, and, like all that have preceded it, it is
to be rich in flower and fruit. She renews her youth
as that of an eagle. She is about to unfold another
Cycle, or Year, of her mysteries, and to pour forth
upon her faithful children the graces, of which God
has made the Cycle to be the instrument. In this
season of Christmas, we have the first-fruits of these
graces offered to us ; they are the knowledge and the
love of our Infant-God : let us accept them with at-
tentive hearts, that so we may merit to advance,
with our Jesus, in wisdom, and age, and grace, be-
fore God and men.* The Christmas Mystery is the
gate of all the others of the rest of the year ; but it is

1 Ps. lxxv. 12.

2 Fourth Homily On the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ.

3 St. Luke, xiv. 23. 4 Ibid. ii. 52.

PEACTICE DURING CHRISTMAS. 33

a gate which we may all enter, for, though most hea-
venly, yet it touches earth ; since, as St. Augustine
beautifully remarks, in one of his sermons for Christ-
mas •} " We cannot as yet contemplate the splendour
w of Him, who was begotten of the Father, before the
"Day Star ;2 let us, then, visit Him, who was born of
" the Virgin, in the night- hour. We cannot under-
" stand how his Name continueth before the sun ;3
" let us, then, confess that he hath set his tabernacle
" in Her that is purer than the sun.41 We cannot as
"yet see the Only Begotten Son dwelling in the
"Father's Bosom; let us, then, think on the Bride-
" groom that cometh out of his bride chamber.5 We
" are not yet ready for the banquet of our heavenly
" Father ; let us, then, keep to the Crib of Jesus our
"Master."**

1 Eleventh Sermon On the Nativity of our Lord.

2 Ps. cix. 3. 4 Ps. xviii. 6. 6 Is. i. 3.

3 Ibid. lxxi. 17. 5 Ibid.

D

CHAPTER IV.

MORNING AND NIGHT PRAYERS

FOR CHRISTMAS.

During Christmas, the Christian, on waking in the
morning, should unite himself with the Church, who,
in her Office of Matins for Christmas Day, thus
invites the faithful to come and adore the Messias :

Christus natus est nobis ; Christ is born unto us ;
venite, adoremus ! come, let us adore him!

He should profoundly adore this dear King, who
has rendered himself so accessible to his creatures ;
and in this disposition of loving reverence, he should
perform the first acts of religion, both interior and
exterior, wherewith he begins the day. The time
for Morning Prayer being come, he may use the
following method, which is formed upon the very
prayers of the Church : —

MORNING PRAYERS.

First, praise and adoration of the Most Holy
Trinity : —

ft. Benedicamus Patrem ft. Let us bless the Father,

et Filium, cum Sancto Spi- and the Son, and the Holy

ritu : Ghost.

I£. Laudamus et super- I£. Let us praise him and

exaltemus eum in saecula. extol him above all, for ever.

ft. Gloria Patri et Filio, ft. Glory be to the Father,

et Spiritui Sancto ; and to the Son, and to the

Holy Ghost.

1$. Sicut erat in principio, I£. As it was in the begin-

et nunc et semper, et in sae- ing, is now, and ever shall be

cula sseculorum. Amen. world without end. Amen.

MORNING PRAYERS. 35

Then, praise to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ :

ft. We adore thee, 0 Christ, ft. Adoramus te, Christe,

and we hless thee. et benedicimus tibi.

1$. Because by thy Cross I£. Quia per Crucem tuam

thou hast redeemed the world, redemisti mundum.

Thirdly, invocation of the Holy Ghost : —

Come, O Holy Spirit, fill Veni, Sancte Spiritus, re-

the hearts of thy faithful, and pie tuorum corda fidelium,

enkindle within them the fire et tui amoris in eis ignem

of thy love. accende.

After these fundamental acts of Religion, you will
recite the Lord's Prayer, asking of God, the Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, to grant that his holy Name
may be glorified on earth, now that he has blessed
it by sending it his Son, over whose Crib the Angels
sang : Glory be to God in the highest ! This divine
Messias is come to establish the Kingdom of God on
earth : he is come to do the will of his Father, and
to teach us to do it here on earth, as it is done in
heaven. Let us reverently share in these divine in-
tentions. Let us, also, ask, with all instance, that
we may be granted to partake of that heavenly
Bread, which is now born to us in Bethlehem :

THE LORD'S PRAYER.

Our Father, who art in Pater noster, qui es in
heaven, hallowed be thy name : ccelis, sanctificetur nomen
thy kingdom come : thy will be tuum : adveniat regnum tu-
done on earth as it is in heaven, um : fiat voluntas tua sicut
Give us this day our daily in coelo, et in terra. Panem
bread; and forgive us our nostrum quotidianum da no-
trespasses, as we forgive them bis hodie : et dimitte nobis
that trespass against us : and debita nostra, sicut et nos
lead us not into temptation : dimittimus debitoribus nos-
but deliver us from evil, tris : et ne nos inducas in
Amen. tentationem : sed libera nos

a malo. Amen.

Then address our Blessed Lady, using the words
of the Angelical Salutation. It is now that she is
Blessed among all women : her virginal womb has

36

CHEISTMAS.

yielded the divine Fruit, of which the world was in
expectation : every creature should proclaim her to
be the Mother of God.

THE ANGELICAL SALUTATION.

Ave Maria, gratia plena :
Doininus tecum : benedicta
tu in mulieribus, et bene-
dictus fructus ventris tui,
Jesus.

Sancta Maria, Mater Dei,
ora pro nobis peccatoribus,
nunc et in hora mortis nos-
tras. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace ;
the Lord is with thee ; blessed
art thou among women, and
blessed is the fruit of thy ivomb,
Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners, now and
at the hour of our death.
Amen.

After this, recite the Symbol of Faith ; and as you
pronounce the words, Bom of the Virgin Mary,
dwell on them with a special attention, adoring the
Saviour, who has deigned to come down from heaven,
and be born in a stable.

THE APOSTLES CREED.

Credo in Deum Patrem
omnipotentem, creatorem
cceli et terrse. Et in Jesum
Christum Filium ejus uni-
cum, Dominum nostrum :
qui conceptus est de Spiritu
Sancto, natus ex Maria Vir-
gine, passus sub Pontio Pi-
lato, crucifixus, mortuus, et
sepultus : descendit ad in-
feros, tertia die resurrexit a
mortuis : ascendit ad ccelos,
sedet ad dexteram Dei Patris
omnipotentis : indeventurus
est judicare vivos et mortuos.

Credo in Spiritum Sanc-
tum, sanctam Ecclesiam Ca-
tholicam, Sanctorum com-
munionem, remissionem
peccatorum, carnis resurrec-
tionem, vitam seternam.
Amen.

I believe in God the Father
Almighty, Creator of heaven
and earth. And in Jesus
Christ, his only Son our Lord,
who was conceived by the
Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin
Mary ; suffered under Pon-
tius Pilate, was crucified, dead,
and buried ; he descended into
hell, the third day he arose
again from the dead ; he as-
cended into heaven, sitteth at
the right hand of God the
Father Almighty ; from thence
he shall come to judge the
living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost :
the Holy Catholic Church ;
the communion of Saints, the
forgiveness of sins, the resur-
rection of the body, and life
everlasting. Amen.

MORNING PRAYERS. 37

After having thus made the Profession of your
Faith, excite within yourself sentiments of penance
and compunction, by the remembrance of the sins
you have committed, and of lively gratitude of the
Lamb of God, who is come that he may wash away
our sins by his Blood, and give us to partake of his
divinity. For this end, make use of the following
words of the Church, as the fittest way of celebrating
these ineffable mysteries, the remembrance of which
will keep up within your hearts a sorrow for having
offended so merciful a God.

ANTIPHONS FOE CHRISTMAS.

Ant. O admirable Inter- Ant. O admirabile corn-
change ! The Creator of man- mercinm ! Creator generis
kind, assuming a living Body, humani, animatum corpus
deigned to be born of a Virgin; sumens, de Virgine nasci
and, becoming Man without dignatus est ; et procedens
man's aid, bestowed on us his homo sine semine, largitus
Divinity. est nobis suam deitatem.

Ant. When thou wast born Ant. Quando natus es
ineffably of the Virgin, the ineffabiliter ex Virgine, tunc
Scriptures were fulfilled. As impletse sunt Scripturse : si-
dew upon Gedeon's fleece, cut pluvia in vellus descen-
thou earnest down to save disti, ut salvum faceres ge-
mankind. O Lord our God ! nus humanum : te lauda-
we praise thee. mus, Deus noster.

Ant. Lo! Mary hath brought Ant. Ecce Maria genuit

forth a Saviour unto us, whom nobis Salvatorem, quern

John seeing exclaimed : Be- Joannes videns exclamavit

hold the Lamb of God ! Be- dicens : Ecce Agnus Dei ;

hold him that taketh away the ecce qui tollit peccata mun-

sins of the world. Alleluia. di. Alleluia.

Here make an humble confession of your sins,
reciting the general formula made use of by the
Church.

THE CONFESSION OF SINS.

I confess to Almighty God, Confiteor Deo Omnipo-
to blessed Mary ever Virgin, tenti, beatse Marise semper
to blessed Michael the Arch- Virgini, beato Michaeli

38

CHEISTMAS.

angel, to blessed John Baptist,
to the holy Apostles Peter and
Paul, and to all the saints,
that I have sinned exceedingly
in thought, word, and deed :
through my fault, through my
fault, through my most griev-
ous fault. Therefore I beseech
the blessed Mary ever Virgin,
blessed Michael the Archangel,
blessed John Baptist, the holy
Apostles Peter and Paul, and
all the saints, to pray to our
Lord God for me.

May Almighty God have
mercy on us, and, our sins
being forgiven, bring us to life
everlasting. Amen.

May the Almighty and mer-
ciful Lord grant us. pardon,
absolution, and remission of
our sins. Amen.

Archangelo, beato Joanni
Baptistse, Sanctis Apostolis
Petro et Paulo, et omnibus
Sanctis, quia peccavi nimis
cogitatione, verbo, et opere :
mea culpa, mea culpa, mea
maxima culpa. Ideo precor
beatam Mariam semper Vir-
ginem, beatum Michaelem
Archangelum,beatum Joan-
nem Baptistam, sanctos
Apostolos Petrum et Paul-
um, et omnes sanctos, orare
pro me ad Dominum Deum
nostrum.

Misereatur nostri omni-
potens Deus, et dimissis
peccatis nostris, perducat
nos ad vitam seternam.
Amen.

Indulgentiam, absolutio-
nem, et remissionem pecca-
torum nostrorum tribuat
nobis omnipotens et miseri-
cors Dominus. Amen.

This is the proper time for making your Medita-
tion, as no doubt you practise this holy exercise.
During Christmas, our Meditation should turn prin-
cipally upon the Birth of Jesus Christ in our souls.
At this period of the Liturgical Year, we must return
to the very basis of our spiritual life, and yield, with
childlike docility, to the inspirations of the Holy
Ghost. The object of our contemplation, as well as
the source of our confidence, is Jesus, the Incarnate
Word, swathed in the bands of infancy, laid in his
Crib, presented in the Temple, and fleeing into
Egypt. His love for us has induced him to subject
himself to these weaknesses of childhood, in order
that even we may imitate our God ! St. Luke tells
us, that his. Blessed Mother kept all these mysteries
in her heart, and pondered them ■} let us follow her

1 St. Luke, i. 19 and 51.

MOENING PRAYERS. 39

sweet example, and feed our souls with the heavenly
Manna. Let the rays of this hidden but penetrating
Light illumine us. If we would follow Jesus to
Thabor, let us begin to follow him in the way he now
shows us — of a Child's simplicity and humility. The
higher the architect wishes to carry up the building,
the deeper does he sink the foundations. Jesus
humbles himself so profoundly, because the work he
has undertaken is to go up even to the highest
heavens. As his members, we must go with him ;
we must bear him company, now in his humble Crib,
and, later, on his Cross, if we would be associated
with him, when the day of his triumph comes, and
he is seated at the right hand of his Father.

The next part of your Morning Prayer must be to
ask of God, by the following prayers, grace to avoid
every kind of sin during the day you are just begin-
ning. Say, then, with the Church, whose prayers
must always be preferred to all others :

~ffm 0 Lord, hear my prayer. "ft. Domine, exaudi ora-

tionem meam.
I£. And let my cry come J$. Et clamor meus ad te
unto thee. veniat.

LET US PEAY. OREMUS.

Almighty Lord and God, Domine, Deusomnipotens,

who has brought us to the qui ad principium hujus diei

beginning of this day, let thy nos pervenire fecisti, tua nos

powerful grace so conduct us hodie salva virtute, ut in hac

through it, that we may not die ad nullum declinemus

fall into any sin, but that all peccatum, sed semper ad

our thoughts, words, and tuam justitiam faciendam

actions may be regulated nostra procedant eloquia,

according to the rules of thy dirigantur cogitationes et

heavenly justice, and tend to opera. Per Dominum nos-

the observance of thy holy trum Jesum Christum Fi-

law. Through Jesus Christ lium tuum, qui tecum vivit

our Lord. Amen. et regnat in unitate Spiritus

Sancti Deus, per omnia
ssecula sseculorum. Amen.

40

CHRISTMAS.

Then, beg the divine assistance for the actions of
the day, that you may do them well ; and say thrice :

$". Deus, in adjutorium
meum intende.

I£. Domine, ad adjuvan-
dum me festina.

ft. Deus, in adjutorium
meum intende.

1$. Domine, ad adjuvan-
dum me festina.

ft. Deus, in adjutorium
meum intende.

I£. Domine, ad adjuvan-
dum me festina.

ft. Incline unto my aid, O
God.

I£. O Lord, make haste to
help me.

ft. Incline unto my aid, O
God.

Tfe- 0 Lord, make haste to
help me.

ft. Incline unto my aid, 0
God.

1^. 0 Lord, make haste to
help me.

OEEMUS.

Dirigere et sanctificare, re-
gere et gubernare dignare,
Domine Deus, Rex cceli et
terrse, hodie corda et corpora
nostra, sensus, sermones et
actus nostros in lege tua, et
in operibusmandatorumtuo-
rum, ut hie et in seternum,te
auxiliante, salvi et liberi esse
mereamur, Salvator mundi.
Qui vivis et regnas in ssecula
saeculorum. Amen.

LET US PEAY.

Lord God, and King of
heaven and earth, vouchsafe
this day to rule and sanctify,
to direct and govern our souls
and bodies, our senses, words,
and actions in conformity to
thy law, and strict obedience
to thy commands ; that by
the help of thy grace, O Sa-
viour of the world ! we may
be fenced and freed from all
evils. Wholivest and reign-
est for ever and ever. Amen.

After this, uniting yourself with the Church, —
who celebrates with holy enthusiasm the rising of
the Sun of Justice, by whose Light she does the
works which render her agreeable to this her divine
Spouse, — say together with her :

ft. Verbum caro factum
est. Alleluia !
I£. Et habitavit in nobis.

Alleluia !

ft. The Word was made
Flesh. Alleluia !

I£. And dwelt among us.
Alleluia !

NIGHT PEAYEKS.

41

LET US PRAY.

Grant, we beseech thee, O
Almighty God, that, as we
are enlightened by the new
light of thy Word made Flesh,
we may show in our actions
the effects of that faith that
shineth in our minds. Through
the same Jesus Christ our
Lord. Amen.

During the day, you will do well to use the in-
structions and prayers which you will find in this
volume, for each day of the Season, both for the
Proper of the Time, and the Proper of the Saints.
In the Evening, you may use the following Prayers.

OEEMUS.

Da nobis, quaesumus?
omnipotens Deus, ut qui
nova incarnati Verbi tui luce
perfundimur ; hoc in nos-
tra resplendeat opere quod
per fidem fulget in mente.
Per eumdem Christum Do-
minum nostrum. Amen.

NIGHT PRAYERS.

After having made the sign of the Cross, begin by
adoring and praising the Son of God made Flesh, and
dwelling amongst us his creatures, for our salvation.
For this end, you may recite the following stanzas
of one of the Hymns sung by the Church during
Christmas.

HYMN".

O Jesu ! Redeemer of man-
kind ! born before the light
was made, and born of the
Eternal Father, equal to Him
in infinite glory ;

0 thou the Light and bright-
ness of the Father ! O thou
the everlasting hope of all men !
hear the prayers offered thee
by thy servants throughout the
world.

Be mindful, O Creator of
all things ! that heretofore thou
didst assume a Body like unto
ours, and wast born from the
sacred womb of a Virgin.

Jesu, Redemptor omnium,
Quern lucis ante originem
Parem paternse glorias
Pater supremus edidit ;

Tu lumen et splendor Patris,
Tu spes perennis omnium ;
Intende quas fundunt pre-

ces,
Tui per orbem servuli.

Memento, rerum conditor,
Nostri quod olim corporis
Sacrata ab alvo Virginis
Nascendo formam sump-
seris.

42 CHRISTMAS.

Jesu, tibi sit gloria Glory be to thee, O Jesus,

Qui natus es de Virgine, who wast born of the Virgin !

Cum Patre et almo Spiritu and to the Father and the Holy

In sempiterna ssecula. Ghost, for everlasting ages.

Amen. Amen.

After this Hymn, say the Our Father, the Hail
Mary, and the Apostles Greed, as in the Morning.

Then, make the Examination of Conscience, going
over in your mind all the faults you have committed
during the day ; think, how unworthy sin makes us
of the caresses and the company of the Divine Babe ;
and conclude, by making a firm resolution to avoid
sin for the future, to do penance for it, and to avoid
the occasions which would again lead you into it.

The Examination of Conscience concluded, recite
the Gonfiteor (or i" confess) with heartfelt contrition,
and then give expression to your sorrow by the fol-
lowing Act, which we have taken from the Venerable
Cardinal Bellarmine's Catechism : —

ACT OF CONTRITION".

O my God, I am exceedingly grieved for having offended
thee, and with my whole heart I repent for the sins I have
committed : I hate and abhor them above every other evil,
not only because, by so sinning I have lost Heaven and
deserve Hell, but still more because I have offended thee,
O infinite Goodness, who art worthy to be loved above all
things. I most firmly resolve, by the assistance of thy grace,
never more to offend thee for the time to come, and to avoid
those occasions which might lead me into sin.

You may then add the Acts of Faith, Hope, and
Charity, to the recitation of which Pope Benedict 14
has granted an indulgence of seven years and
seven quarantines for each time.

ACT OF FAITH.

O my God, I firmly believe whatsoever the holy Catholic
Apostolic Roman Church requires me to believe : I believe
it, because thou hast revealed it to her, thou who art the
very Truth.

NIGHT PRAYERS.

43

ACT OF HOPE.

O my God, knowing thy almighty power, and thy infinite
goodness and mercy, I hope in thee that, by the merits of
the Passion and Death of our Saviour Jesus Christ, thou
wilt grant me eternal life, which thou hast promised to all
such as shall do the works of a good Christian ; and these I
resolve to do, with the help of thy grace.

ACT OF CHARITY.

0 my God, I love thee with my whole heart and above all
tilings, because thou art the sovereign Good : I would rather
lose all things than offend thee. For thy love also, I love
and desire to love my neighbour as myself.

Then say to our blessed Lady, in honour of the
ineffable dignity of her Maternity, the following
Anthem : —

ANTHEM TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN.

Sweet Mother of our Re-
deemer, Gate whereby we
enter heaven, and Star of the
sea ! help us, we fall ; yet do
we long to rise. Nature
looked upon thee with admi-
ration, when thou didst give
birth to thy divine Creator,
thyself remaining, before and
after it, a pure Virgin. Ga-
briel spoke his Hail to thee ;
we sinners crave thy pity.

_ p. After child-birth, thou
didst remain most pure, O
Virgin !

1$. O Mother of God, make
intercession for us.

LET TJS PRAY.

O God, who by the fruitful
Virginity of the Blessed Mary,
hast given to mankind the
rewards of eternal salvation ;
grant, we beseech thee, that

Alma Bedemptoris mater

quae pervia cceli,
Porta manes, et stella maris,

succurre cadenti,
Surgere qui curat populo : tu

quae genuisti,
Natura mirante, tuum sanc-
tum Genitorem,
Virgo prius ac posterius, Ga-

brielis ab ore,
Sumens illud Ave, peccato-

rum miserere.

$". Post partum, Virgo,
inviolata permansisti.

1$. Dei Genitrix, inter-
cede pro nobis.

OREMUS.

Deus, qui salutis aeternae,
beatae Mariae virginitate fe-
cunda, humano generi prae-
niia praestitisti : tribue, quae-
sumus, ut ipsam pro nobis

u

CHEISTMAS.

intercedere sentiamus, per
qiiarn meruimus auctorem
vitse suscipere Doniinum
nostrum, Jesum Christum,
Filium tuum. Amen.

we may experience Her inter-
cession, by whom we received
the Author of Life, our Lord
Jesus Christ, thy Son. Amen.

You would do well to add the Litany of our Lady.
An indulgence of three hundred days, for each time
it is recited, has been granted by the Church.

THE LITANY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN.

Kyrie, eleison.

Christe, eleison.

Kyrie, eleison.

Christe, audi nos.

Christe, exaudi nos.

Pater de ccelis, Deus, mise-
rere nobis.

Fili, Redemptor mundi,
Deus, miserere nobis.

Spiritus Sancte, Deus, mise-
rere nobis.

Sancta Trinitas, unus Deus,
miserere nobis.

Sancta Maria, ora pro nobis.

Sancta Dei Genitrix, ora,
etc.

Sancta Virgo virginum,

Mater Christi,

Mater divinse gratise,

Mater purissima,

Mater castissima,

Mater inviolata,

Mater intemerata,

Mater amabilis,

Mater adniirabilis,

Mater Creatoris,

Mater Salvatoris,

Virgo prudentissima,

Virgo veneranda,

Virgo prsedicanda,

Virgo potens,

Virgo clemens,

Virgo fidelis,

Speculum justitise,

Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of heaven,

have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of

the world, have mercy on

us.
God the Holy Ghost, have

mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have

mercy on us.
Holy Mary, pray for us.
Holy Mother of God, pray,

etc.
Holy Virgin of virgins,
Mother of Christ,
Mother of divine grace,
Mother most pure,
Mother most chaste,
Mother inviolate,
Mother undefiled,
Mother most amiable,
Mother most admirable,
Mother of our Creator,
Mother of our Redeemer,
Virgin most prudent,
Virgin most venerable,
Virgin most renowned,
Virgin most powerful,
Virgin most merciful,
Virgin most faithful,
Mirror of justice,

NIGHT PEAYERS.

45

Seat of wisdom,

Cause of our joy,

Spiritual vessel,

Vessel of honour,

Vessel of singular devotion,

Mystical Rose,

Tower of David,

Tower of ivory,

House of gold,

Ark of the covenant,

Gate of heaven,

Morning Star,

Health of the weak,

Refuge of sinners,

Comforter of the afflicted,

Help of Christians,

Queen of Angels,

Queen of Patriarchs,

Queen of Prophets,

Queen of Apostles,

Queen of Martyrs,

Queen of Confessors,

Queen of Virgins,

Queen of all Saints,

Queen conceived without ori-
ginal sin.

O Lamb of God, who takest
away the sins of the world,
spare us, O Lord.

O Lamb of God, who takest
away the sins of the world,
graciously hear us, O Lord.

O Lamb of God, who takest
away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us.

Christ, hear us.

Christ, graciously hear us.
$\ Pray for us, 0 holy

Mother of God.

I£. That we may be made

worthy of the promises of

Christ.

Sedes sapientise,

Causa nostrse lsetitiae,

Vas spirituale,

Vas honorabile,

Vas insigne devotionis,

Rosa mystica,

Turris Davidica,

Turris eburnea,

Domus aurea,

Foederis area,

Janua coeli,

Stella matutina,

Salus infirmorum,

Refugium peccatorum,

Consolatrix afflictorum,

Auxilium Christianorum,

Regina Angelorum,

Regina Patriarcharum,

Regina Prophetarum,

Regina Apostolorum,

Regina Martyrum,

Regina Confessorum,

Regina Virginum,

Regina Sanctorum omnium,

Regina sine labe concepta.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis pec-
cata mundi, parce nobis,
Domine.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis pec-
cata mundi, exaudi nos,
Domine.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis pec-
cata mundi, miserere no-
bis.

Christe, audi nos.

Christe, exaudi nos.
]v. Ora pro nobis, sancta

Dei Genitrix.
I£. Ut digni efficiamur

promissionibus Christi.

LET US PRAY.

Grant, O Lord, we beseech
thee, that we thy servants

OREMUS.

Concede nos famulos tuos,
queesumus, Domine Deus,

46

CHRISTMAS.

perpetua mentis et corporis
sanitate gaudere : et gloriosa
beatae Marias semper Yir-
ginis intercessione, a praa-
senti liberari tristitia, et
aeterna perfrui lsetitia. Per
Christum Dominum nos-
trum. Amen.

may enjoy constant health of
body and mind, and by the
glorious intercession of Bles-
sed Mary, ever a Virgin, be
delivered from all present
affliction, and come to that joy
which is eternal. Through
Christ our Lord. Amen.

Here invoke the Holy Angels, whose protection
is, indeed, always so much needed by us, but never
so much as during the hours of night. Say with the
Church : —

Sancti Angeli, custodes
nostri, defendite nos in
praslio, ut non pereamus in
tremendo judicio.

$\ Angelis suis Deus man-
davit de te.

I£. Ut custodiant te in
omnibus viis tuis.

OREMUS.

Deus, qui ineffabili provi-
dentia sanctos Angelos tuos
ad nostram custodiam mit-
tere dignaris : largire suppli-
cibus tuis, et eorum semper
protectione defendi, et aeter-
na societate gaudere. Per
Christum Dominum nos-
trum. Amen.

Holy Angels, our loving
Guardians, defend us in the
hour of battle, that we may
not be lost at the dreadful
judgment.

"ftf. God hath given his
Angels charge of thee.

1$. That they may guard
thee in all thy ways.

LET US PEAY.

O God, who in thy wonder-
ful providence hast been
pleased to appoint thy holy
Angels for our guardians ;
mercifully hear our prayers,
and grant we may rest se-
cure under their protection,
and enjoy their fellowship in
heaven for ever. Through
Christ our Lord. Amen.

Then beg the assistance of the Saints by the
following antiphon and prayer of the Church : —

Ant. Sancti Dei omnes,
intercedere dignemini pro
nostra omniumque salute.

$". Lsetamini in Domino
et exsultate, justi.

Ant. All ye Saints of God,
vouchsafe to intercede for us
and for all men, that we may
be saved.

$". Rejoice in the Lord, ye
just, and be glad.

NIGHT PKAYEKS.

47

]$. And glory, all ye right 1$. Et gloriamini omnes
of heart. recti corde.

LET TJS PRAY.

Protect, O Lord, thy people ;
and because we have confi-
dence in the intercession of
blessed Peter and Paul and
thy other Apostles, ever de-
fend and preserve us.

May all thy Saints ever help
us, we beseech thee, O Lord 1
and grant, that, whilst we
honour their merits, we may
experience their intercession.
Grant thy holy peace unto
these our days, and drive all
iniquity from thy Church.
Direct and prosper unto salva-
tion every step, and action,
and desire, of us and of all
thy servants. Kepay our bene-
factors with everlasting bless-
ings ; and grant eternal rest
to all the faithful departed.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

OKEMUS.

Protege, Domine, popu-
lum tuum, et Apostolorum
tuorum Petri et Pauli et
aliorum Apostolorum patro-
cinio confidentem, perpetua
defensione conserva.

Omnes Sancti tui, quassu-
mus, Domine, nos ubique
adjuvent : ut dum eorum
merita recolimus, patroci-
nia sentiamus : et pacem
tuam nostris concede tem-
poribus, et ab Ecclesia tua
cunctam repelle nequitiam :
iter, actus, et voluntates
nostras, et omnium famu-
lorum tuorum, in salutis
tuse prosperitate dispone :
benefactoribus nostris sem-
piterna bona retribue : et
omnibus fidelibus defunctis
requiem asternam concede.
Per Christum Dominum
nostrum. Amen.

And here you may add a special mention of the
Saints to whom yon bear a particular devotion, either
as your Patrons or otherwise ; as also of those whose
feast is kept in the Church that day, or at least who
have been commemorated in the Divine Office.

This done, remember the necessities of the Church
Suffering, and beg of God that he will give to the
souls in Purgatory a place of refreshment, light, and
peace. For this intention recite the usual prayers.

psalm 129.

From the depths I have
cried to thee, O Lord ; Lord,
hear my voice.

De profundis clamavi ad
te, Domine : Domine, exaudi
vocem meam.

48

CHRISTMAS.

Fiant aures tuae intenden-
tes : in vocem deprecationis
mese.

Si iniquitates observave-
ris, Domine : Domine, quis
sustinebit 1

Quia apud te propitiatio
est : et propter legem, tuam
sustirmi te, Domine.

Sustinuit anima mea in
verbo ejus : speravit anima
mea in Domino.

Acustodiamatutinausque
ad noctem : speret Israel in
Domino.

Quia apud Dominion mi-
sericordia : et copiosa apud
eum redemptio.

Et ipse redimet Israel ; ex
omnibus iniquitatibus ejus.

Requiem setemani dona
eis, Domine.

Et lux perpetua luceat
eis.

ft. A porta inferi.

I£. Erae, Domine, animas
eorum.

ft. Requiescant in pace.

1^. Amen.

ft. Domine, exaudi ora-
tionem meam.

1$. Et clamor meus ad te
veniat.

Let thine ears be attentive
to the voice of my supplica-
tion.

If thou wilt observe iniqui-
ties, O Lord, Lord, who shall
endure it %

For with thee there is mer-
ciful forgiveness ; and by rea-
son of thy law I have waited
for thee, 0 Lord.

My soul hath relied on his
word ; my soul hath hoped in
the Lord.

From the morning watch
even until night, let Israel
hope in the Lord.

Because with the Lord there
is mercy, and with him plenti-
ful redemption.

And he shall redeem Israel
from all his iniquities.

Eternal rest give to them, 0
Lord.

And let perpetual light shine
upon them.

ft. From the gate of hell.

I£. Deliver their souls, 0
Lord.

ft. May they rest in peace.

I£. Amen.

ft. O Lord, hear my prayer.

1$. And let my cry come
unto thee.

OEEMUS.

Fidelium Deus omnium
Conditor et Redemptor, ani-
mabus famulorum famula-
rumque tuarum, remissio-
nem cunctorem tribue pec-
catorum : ut indulgentiam,
quam semper optaverunt,
piis supplicationibus conse-
quantur. Qui vivis et regnas
in saBcula sseculorum. Amen.

LET US PEAY.

0 God, the Creator and
Redeemer of all the faithful,
give to the souls of thy ser-
vants departed the remission
of their sins : that through the
help of pious supplications,
they may obtain the pardon
they have always desired.
Who livest and reignest for
ever and ever. Amen.

NIGHT PRAYERS.

49

Here make a special memento of such of the
Faithful departed as have a particular claim upon
your charity ; after which, ask of God to give you
his assistance, whereby you may pass the night free
from danger. Say then, still keeping to the words
of the Church :

Ant. Save us, 0 Lord,
whilst awake, and watch us
as we sleep ; that we may
watch with Christ, aud rest in
peace.

'ff. Vouchsafe, 0 Lord, this
night.

I£. To keep us without sin.

"ft. Have mercy on us, O
Lord.

I£. Have mercy on us.

"fT. Let thy mercy, 0 Lord,
be upon us.

^. As we have hoped in
thee.

$". O Lord, hear my prayer.

1$. And let my cry come
unto thee.

Ant. Salva nos, Domine,
vigilantes, custodi nos dor-
mientes : ut vigilemus cum
Christo, et requiescamus in
pace.

% Dignare, Domine,
nocte ista.

I|. Sine peccato nos cus-
todire.

ft. Miserere nostri, Do-
mine.

1^. Miserere nostri.

$". Fiat misericordia tua,
Domine, super nos.

IJ. Quemadmodum spe-
ravimus in te.

$". Domine, exaudi ora-
tionem meam.

1$. Et clamor meus ad te
veniat.

LET US PRAY.

Visit, we beseech thee, 0
Lord, this house and family,
and drive from it all snares
of the enemy : let thy holy
Angels dwell herein, who may
keep us in peace, and may
thy blessing be always upon
us. Through Jesus Christ
our Lord, thy Son, who liveth
and reigneth with thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, God
world without end. Amen.

OEEMUS.

Visita, qusesumus, Do-
mine, habitationem istam,
et omnes insidias inimici
ab ea longe repelle : Angeli
tui sancti habitent in ea,
qui nos in pace custodiant,
et benedictio tua sit super
nos semper. Per Dominum
nostrum Jesum Christum,
Filium tuum, qui tecum
vivit et regnat in unitate
Spiritus Sancti Deus, per
omnia saecula saeculorum,
Amen.

E

50

CHRISTMAS.

And that you may end the day in the same senti-
ments wherewith you began it, devoutly pay your
homage to the divine Mystery of the Incarnation,
by reciting the following prayer :

y. Notum fecit Domi- y. The Lord hath made

nus, alleluia ! known, alleluia !

I£. Salutare suum, alle-
luia ! ^. His Salvation, alleluia !

OREMUS.

Deus, qui sacratissimam
noctem veri luminis fecisti
illustratione clarescere : da,
quaasumus, ut cujus lucis
mysteria in terra cognovi-
mus, ejus quoque gaudiis
in coelo perfruamur. Qui
tecum vivit et regnat in sae-
cula sseculorum. Amen.

LET US PEAY.

O God ! who hast enlighten-
ed the most sacred of Nights
by the brightness of Him, who
is the true Light ; grant, we
beseech thee, that we who have
known the mysteries of this
Light on earth, may likewise
come to the enjoyment of it
in heaven. Who liveth and
reigneth with thee for ever.
Amen.

CHAPTER V.

ON HEAEING MASS, DUEING THE SEASON OF
CHEISTMAS.

Such is the number and importance of the Feasts
kept during this Holy Season, that even those of the
Faithful, who have not the habit of hearing Mass
daily at other times, look upon it as a sort of duty to
do so now : and rightly ; for, the Lamb, who is offered
up in this Divine Sacrifice, is He, whom they have
been .asking of the Eternal Father with so much
earnestness during Advent, in those words of the
Prophet Isaias : Send forth, 0 Lord, the Lamb, the
Ruler of the Earth}

This tender Lamb is come ; the Child is born unto
us,2 and even now is on the Altar of his Sacrifice. St.
Paul tells us, that this Jesus, on his first entrance
into the world, said to his Father : Sacrifice and
oblation thou willedst not; but a Body thou hast
fitted unto me. — Then said I ; Behold I come : — to
do thy will, 0 God.3 It is true, that the Sacrifice of
the Cross, of which that of the Mass is the continua-
tion, was the Sacrifice of Christ at the end of his
Three-and-Thirty Years ; still, during these days of
Christmas, when we have so much to learn from the
mystery of the Sacred Infancy, we shall be in strict
accordance with the spirit of the Church, if, whilst
assisting at Mass, we keep before our minds, not only
the bleeding Victim of Calvary, but likewise the
sweet Lamb of Bethlehem. Moreover, does not oui
Jesus offer himself, for us, to his Father, from his
Crib as well as from his Cross ? Thus, we read in

1 Is. xvi. 1. 2 Ibid. ix. 6. s Het> x 5

52 CHRISTMAS.

the Acts of the Saints, that as often as this our
Redeemer wished to requite the faith and love of his
servants, by manifesting to them his real Presence in
the sacred Host, he appeared to them in the form of
a lovely Babe.

The Liturgical Iconography of the Greeks repre-
sents the mystery of the Eucharist under the symbol
of a Babe reposing on a Paten. So, too, in many of
our Latin Missals, up to the end of the 1 6th century,
we find an illumination or engraving, as the case
may be, representing a Priest vested in a Chasuble,
standing at the Altar, and holding in his hands the
Body of our Saviour, under the form of a Child.

Let the Faithful, therefore, enter the House of
God in the dispositions, wherewith the Shepherds
and the Magi were animated, when they went to
Bethlehem, the House of Bread. They, too, must
come with haste ;* from the mid-night of this world,
to that Light ivhich shineth in darkness.2 They must
come to the Altar as to the Crib of Jesus, and in the
joy of this Mystery, they must offer their whole heart
to the New-Born Babe. Then, uniting themselves
with Mary and the Church, they must offer the Lamb
of God to the heavenly Father, and themselves to-
gether with him — and all this, with the humility and
simplicity of Little Children.

We will now endeavour to embody these senti-
ments in our explanation of the Mysteries of the
Holy Mass, and initiate the Faithful into these divine
secrets; not, indeed, by indiscreetly presuming to
translate the sacred formulas, but by suggesting such
Acts, as will enable those who hear Mass, to enter
into the ceremonies and sentiments of the Church
and the Priest.

During a considerable portion of this Season, the
Mass is celebrated in commemoration of the great

St. Luke, ii. 16. 2 St. John, i. 5.

i

MASS. 53

Mysteries, which were accomplished at this period of
the Liturgical Year ; and the Prayers used by the
Church, on these great Feasts, will be found on the
respective days. During the remaining forty days,
the Holy Sacrifice is either of the Saints or of the
Sundays, which come during this time, and on which
there does not occur a Double Feast. The Sundays of
Septuagesima and Sexagesima sometimes fall during
Christmastide ; and when this happens, they cannot
be put out by any Feast, save those of the Patron of
the Place, or of the Titular or Dedication of the
Church.

In all the Masses of the Sundays, as also on those
Feasts which are called simples and semi-doubles, the
Priest makes a commemoration of oar Blessed Lady
as Mother of God, and this by three Prayers, which
we give in their proper places. With regard to the
colours of the Vestments, used during this holy Sea-
son, we have explained them in a previous chapter.

On the Sundays, if the Mass, at which the Faith-
ful assist, be the Parochial, or, as it is often called,
the Public Mass, two solemn rites precede it, which
are full of instruction and blessing — the Asperges, or
sprinkling of the Holy Water, and the Procession.

During the Asperges, let them unite with the in-
tentions of the Church in this venerable rite, and
pray for that purity of heart, which will fit them for
admission into that Stable of Bethlehem, wherein the
Word Incarnate first appeared to his creatures.

ANTIPHON" OF THE ASPERGES.

Thou shalt sprinkle me with Asperges me, Domine,
hyssop, 0 Lord, and I shall be hyssopo, et mundabor ; la-
cleansed ; thou shalt wash me, vabis me, et super nivem
and I shall be made whiter dealbabor.
than snow.

Ps. Have mercy on me, 0 Ps. Miserere mei, Deus,

God, according to thy great secundum magnam miseri-

mercy. cordiam tuam.

54

CHRISTMAS.

ft. Gloria Patri, &c.

Ant. Asperges me, &c.

ft. Ostende nobis, Domine,
misericordiam tuam.

I£. Et salutare tuum da
nobis.

ft. Domine, exaudi ora-
tionem meam.

1$. Et clamor meus ad te
veniat.

ft. Dominus vobiscum.

I£. Et cum spiritu tuo.

OEEMUS.

Exaudi nos, Domine sanc-
te, Pater omnipotens, seterne
Deus : et mittere digneris
sanctum Angelum tuum de
ccelis, qui custodiat, foveat,
protegat, visitet atque de-
fendat omnes habitantes in
hoc habitaculo. Per Chris-
tum Dominum nostrum.

I£. Amen.

ft. Glory, &c.

Ant. Sprinkle me, &c.

ft. Show us, 0 Lord, thy
mercy.

I£. And grant us the Saviour,
whom we expect from thee.

ft. 0 Lord, hear my prayer.

1$. And let my cry come
unto thee.
ft. The Lord be with you.
1$. And with thy spirit.

LET TJS PEAY.

Graciously hear us, 0 holy
Lord, Father Almighty, eter-
nal God : and vouchsafe to
send thy holy Angel from
heaven, who may keep, che-
rish, protect, visit, and defend
all who are assembled in this
place. Through Christ our
Lord.

]^. Amen.

The Procession, which immediately precedes the
Mass, should remind us of the Shepherds and Magi
going to Bethlehem, and how, after a holy impatience
to reach the holy spot, they arrived, and found Mary,
and Joseph, and the Infant lying in the manger.

But see, Christians, the Sacrifice begins ! The
Priest is at the foot of the altar ; God is attentive,
the Angels are in adoration, the whole Church is
united with the Priest, whose priesthood and action
are those of the great High Priest, Jesus Christ.
Let us make the sign of the cross with him.

THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS.

00

THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS.

In the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost. Amen.

I unite myself, O my God,
with thy Church, who comes
to seek consolation in Jesus
Christ thy Son, who is the
true Altar.

Like her, I beseech thee to
defend me against the malice
of the enemies of my salva-
tion.

It is in thee that I have put
my hope ; yet do I feel sad
and troubled at being in the
midst of the snares which are
set for me.

Send me, then, him who is
light and truth • it is he will
open to us the way to thy holy
mount, to thy heavenly taber-
nacle.

He is the Mediator, and the
living Altar ; I will draw nigh
to him, and be filled with joy.

When he shall have come,
I will sing in my gladness,
Be not sad, 0 my soul ! why
wouldst thou be troubled %

Hope in his coming ; he who
is thy Saviour and thy God,
will soon be with thee.

Glory be to the Father, and
to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.

As it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.

I am to go to the altar of
God, and feel the presence of
him who consoles me !

In nomine Patris et Filii
et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.

"ff. Introibo ad altare Dei.
I£. Ad Deum qui laetificat
juventutem meam.

Judica me, Deus, et dis-
cerne causam meam de gente
non sancta : ab homine ini-
quo et doloso erue me.

Quia tu es, Deus, forti-
tude mea : quare me repu-
listi 1 et quare tristis incedo,
dum affligit me inimicus %

Emitte lucem tuam et ve-
ritatem tuam : ipsa me de-
duxerunt et adduxerunt in
montem sanctum tuum, et
in tabernacula tua.

Et introibo ad altare Dei :
ad Deum qui lsetificat ju-
ventutem meam.

Confitebor tibi in cithara
Deus, Deus meus : quare
tristis es anima mea1? et
quare conturbas me 1

Spera in Deo, quoniam
adhuc confitebor ilH : salu-
tare vultus mei, et Deus
meus.

Gloria Patri, et Filio, et
Spiritui Sancto.

Sicut erat in principio, et
nunc et semper, et in ssecula
sseculorum. Amen.

Jf. Introibo ad altare Dei.

1$. Ad Deum qui laetificat
juventutem meam.

56 CHRISTMAS.

$". Adjutorium nostrum This my hope comes not

in nomine Domini. from any merits of my own,

1$. Qui fecit ccelum et but from the all-powerful help

terram. of my Creator.

The thought of his being about to appear before
his God, excites, in the soul of the Priest, a lively
sentiment of compunction. He cannot go further in
the holy Sacrifice without confessing, and publicly,
that he is a sinner, and deserves not the grace he is
about to receive. Listen, with respect, to this con-
fession of God's Minister, and earnestly ask our Lord
to show mercy to him ; for the Priest is your Father ;
he is answerable for your salvation, for which he every
day risks his own. When he has finished, unite with,
the Servers, or the Sacred Ministers, in this prayer :

Misereatur tui omnipo- May Almighty God have

tens Deus, et dimissis pec- mercy on thee, and, forgiving

catis tuis, perducat te ad thy sins, bring thee to ever-

vitam aeternam. lasting life.

The Priest having answered Amen, make your
confession, saying with a contrite spirit :

Conflteor Deo omnipo- I confess to Almighty God,

tenti, beatse Marise semper to blessed Mary ever Virgin,

Virgini, beato Michaeli to blessed Michael the Arch-

Archangelo, beato Joanni angel, to blessed John Baptist,

Baptistse, Sanctis Apostolis to the holy Apostles Peter and

Petro et Paulo, omnibus Paul, to all the saints, and to

Sanctis, et tibi, Pater : quia thee, Father, that I have sinned

peccavi nimis, cogitatione, exceedingly in thought, word,

verbo, et opere : mea culpa, and deed, through my fault,

mea culpa, mea maxima through my fault, through my

culpa. Ideo precor beatam most grievous fault. There-

Mariam semper Virginem, fore I beseech the blessed

beatum Michaelem Arch- Mary ever Virgin, blessed

angelum, beatum Joannem Michael the Archangel, blessed

Baptistam, sanctos Aposto- John Baptist, the holy Apos-

los Petrum et Paulum, om- ties Peter and Paul, and all the

nes Sanctos, et te, Pater, saints, and thee, Father, to

orare pro me ad Dominum pray to our Lord God for me.
Deum nostrum.

THE ORDINAKY OF THE MASS.

57

Receive with gratitude the paternal wish of the
Priest, who says to you :

May Almighty God be mer-
ciful to you, and, forgiving
your sins, bring you to ever-
lasting life.

I£. Amen.

May the almighty and mer-
ciful Lord grant us pardon,
absolution, and remission of
our sins.

1$. Amen.

Misereatur vestri omnipo-
tens Deus, et dimissis pec-
catis vestris, perducat vos
ad vitam aeternam.

I£. Amen.

Indulgentiam, absolutio-
nem, et remissionem pec-
catorum nostrorum, tribuat
nobis omnipotens et miseri-
cors Dominus.

1$. Amen.

Invoke the divine assistance, that you may ap-
proach to Jesus Christ.

ft. 0 God, it needs but one
look of thine to give us life.

I£. And thy people shall
rejoice in thee.

ft. Show us, O Lord, thy
mercy.

1$. And give us the Saviour
whom thou hast prepared for
us.

ft. 0 Lord, hear my prayer.

I£. And let my cry come
unto thee.

ft. Deus, tu conversus vi-
vificabis nos.

I£. Et plebs tua lsetabitur
in te.

ft. Ostende nobis, Domi-
ne, misericordiam tuam.

1$. Et Salutare tuam da
nobis.

ft. Domine, exaudi ora-
tionem meam.

1$. Et clamor meus ad te
veniat.

The Priest here leaves you to ascend to the altar ;
but first he salutes you :

ft. The Lord be with you. ft. Dominus vobiscum.

Answer him with reverence :
R And with thy spirit. ~f$. Et cum spiritu tuo.

LET TJS PEAY. OEEMTJS.

He ascends the steps, and comes to the Holy
of Holies. Ask, both for him and yourself, the
deliverance from sin :

58 CHRISTMAS.

Aufer a nobis quaesumus, Take from our hearts, O

Domine, iniquitates nos- Lord, all those sins, which

tras ; ut ad Sancta sanctorum make us unworthy of thy visit ;

puris mereamur mentibus we ask this of thee by thy

introire. Per Christum Do- divine Son, our Lord,
minum nostrum. Amen.

When the Priest kisses the altar, out of reverence
for the relics of the Martyrs which are there, say :

Oramus te, Domine, per Generous soldiers of Jesus

merita sanctorum tuorum Christ, who have mingled

quorum reliquia? hie sunt, et your own blood with his, in-

omnium Sanctorum : ut in- tercede for us that our sins

dulgere digneris omnia pec- may be forgiven : that so we

cata mea. Amen. may, like you, approach unto

God.

If it be a High Mass at which you are assisting,
the Priest incenses the Altar in a most solemn man-
ner ; and this white cloud, which you see ascending
from every part of the Altar, signifies the prayer
of the Church, who addresses herself to Jesus Christ;
and which this Divine Mediator then causes to
ascend, united with his own, to the throne of the
majesty of his Father.

The Priest then savs the Introit. It is a solemn
opening-anthem, in which the Church, at the very
commencement of the Holy Sacrifice, gives expres-
sion to the sentiments which fill her heart.

It is followed by nine exclamations, which are
even more earnest, for they ask for mercy. In
addressing them to God, the Church unites herself
with the nine choirs of Angels, who are standing
round the altar of Heaven, one and the same as this
before which you are kneeling.

To the Father, who has sent us his Son:

Kyrie eleison. Lord, have mercy on us !

Kyrie eleison. Lord, have mercy on us !

Kyrie eleison. Lord, have mercy on us !

THE OEDINAKY OF THE MASS. ' 59

To the Son, who has come down to us:

Christ, have mercy on us ! Christe eleison.

Christ, have mercy on us ! Christe eleison.

Christ, have mercy on us ! Christe eleison.

To the Holy Ghost, whose operation has accomplished
the mystery:

Lord, have mercy on us ! Kyrie eleison.

Lord, have mercy on us ! Kyrie eleison.

Lord, have mercy on us ! Kyrie eleison.

Then, mingling his voice with that of the heavenly
host, the Priest intones the sublime Canticle of Beth-
lehem, which announces glory to God, and peace to
men. Instructed by the revelations of God, the
Church continues, in her own words, the Hymn of
the Angels. She celebrates, with rapture, the Lamb
of God, who taketh away the sins of the world. She
offers to this Lamb, in return for the humiliations of
the Stable and the Crib, the homage of her fervent
praise, declaring that He alone is Holy, He alone is
Lord, He alone Most-High. Enter, Christians, into
these sentiments of profound adoration, of confidence,
and of tender love, towards the Divine Lamb.

the angelic hymn.

Glory be to God on high, Gloria in excelsis Deo,

and on earth peace to men et in terra pax homini-

of good will. bus bonj3 voluntatis.

We praise thee : we bless Laudamus te : benedici-

thee : we adore thee : we mus te : adoramus te : glori-

glorify thee : we give thee ficamus te : gratias agimus

thanks for thy great glory. tibi propter magnamgloriam

tuam.

O Lord God, Heavenly Domine Deus Rex cceles-

King, God the Father Al- tis, Deus Pater omnipotens.
mighty.

O Lord Jesus Christ, the Domine, Fili unigenite,

only begotten Son. Jesu Christe.

60 CHRISTMAS.

Domine Dens, Agnus Dei, 0 Lord God, Lamb of God,

Films Patris. Son of the Father.

Qui tollis peccata mundi, Who takest away the sins

miserere nobis. of the world, have mercy on us.

Qui tollis peccata mundi, Who takest away the sins of

suscipe deprecationem nos- the world, receive our humble

tram. prayer.

Qui sedes ad dexteram Who sittest at the right

Patris, miserere nobis. hand of the Father, have

mercy on us.

Quoniam tu solus sanctus, For thou alone art holy,

tu solus Dominus, tu solus thou alone art Lord, thou

Altissimus, Jesu Christe, alone, O Jesus Christ, together

cum Sancto Spiritu, in glo- with the Holy Ghost, art most

ria Dei Patris. Amen. high, in the glory of God the

Father. Amen.

The Priest turns towards the people, and again
salutes them, as it were to make sure of their pious
attention to the sublime act, for which all this is but
the preparation. The words of this greeting are
especially beautiful during the season of Christmas :
The Lord be with you ! Isaias had foretold that it
would indeed be verified, and the Angel confirms
the prophecy to St. Joseph, when be thus says to
him : He shall be called Emmanuel, that is, God
with us.1

Then follows the Collect or Prayer, in which the
Church formally expresses to the divine Majesty the
special intentions she has in the Mass which is being
celebrated. You may unite in this prayer, by recit-
ing with the Priest the Collects which you will find
in their proper places : but on no account omit to
join with the server of the Mass in answering Amen.

Then follows the Epistle, which is, generally, a por-
tion of one or other of the Epistles of the Apostles,
or a passage from some Book of the Old Testament.
Whilst it is being read, thank Him, who, not satisfied
with having, at sundry times, spoken to us by the

1 St. Matth. i. 23.

THE OKDINARY OF THE MASS. 61

Prophets, has deigned, in these days, to speak to us
by his Son.1

The Gradual is an intermediate formula of Prayer
between the Epistle and Gospel. It again brings to
our attention the sentiments which were expressed
in the Introit. Head it with devotion, so as to get
more and more into the spirit of the Christmas
Mystery.

The song of praise, the Alleluia, is next heard.
Let us, whilst it is being sung, unite with the holy
Angels, who, at the Birth of the Divine Lamb, made
our earth echo with their heavenly chants.

One of the princes of this heavenly host, said,
speaking to the shepherds : Behold I evangelise to
you (that is, I bring you good tidings of) a great
joy — for this day is born unto you a Saviour, in
Bethlehem, the City of David.2 Afterwards, came the
Apostles, and they evangelised this same joy to the
whole world ; and the Book, which contains the words
which gave joy to mankind, is called the Gospel —
Evangelium. A passage from this divine Book is
now going to be read to the assembly of the Faith-
ful ; we shall hear the very words of Him, who be-
came a Little Child, in order to be thus able to speak
to us.

If it be a High Mass, the Deacon prepares to fulfil
his noble office, that of announcing the Good Tidings
of salvation. He prays God to cleanse his heart and
lips. Then kneeling, he asks the Priest's blessing ;
and having received it, he at once goes to the place
where he is to sing the Gospel.

As a preparation for hearing it worthily, you may
thus pray, together with the Priest and Deacon :

Alas ! these ears of mine Munda cor meum, ac labia
are but too often denied with mea, omnipotens Dens, qui

1 Heb. i. 1, 2. 2 St. Luke, ii. 10, 11.

G2 CHRISTMAS.

labia Isaise Prophetse oalculo the world's vain words ; cleanse

mundasti ignito : ita me tua them, 0 Lord, that so I may

grata miseratione dignare hear the words of eternal life,

mundare, ut sanctum Evan- and treasure them in my heart,

gelium tuum digne valeam Through our Lord Jesus Christ,

nuntiare. Per Christum Do- Amen,
minum nostrum. Amen.

Dominus sit in corde meo, Grant to thy ministers thy

et in labiis meis : ut digne grace, that they may faithfully

et competenter annuntiem explain thy law ; that so all,

Evangelium suum ; In no- both pastors and flock, may

mine Patris, et Filii, et Spi- be united to thee for ever,

ritus Sancti. Amen. Amen.

You will stand during the Gospel, as though you
were waiting the orders of your Lord ; and at the
commencement, make the sign of the Cross on your
forehead, lips, and breast ; and then listen to every
word of the Priest or Deacon. Let your heart be
ready and obedient. Whilst my Beloved was speak-
ing, says the Spouse in the Canticle, my soul melted
within me} If you have not such love as this, have
at least the humble submission of Samuel, and say :
Speak, Lord ! thy servant heareth.2

After the Gospel, if the Priest say the Symbol of
Faith, the Credo, you will say it with him. Faith is
that gift of God, without which we cannot please
him. It is Faith that makes us see the Light which
shineth in darkness, and which the darkness of un-
belief did not comprehend. It is Faith that shows
us Him we are to love. It is Faith, too, that makes
us become little children again ; for, such we must
be, if we would have access to the Crib of Him,
whom Clement of Alexandria so beautifully calls the
King of Infants. Let us, then, say with the Catho-
lic Church, our Mother :

1 Cant. v. 6, 2 I. Kings, iii. 10.

THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS.

63

THE NICENE CKEED.

I believe in one God, the
Father almighty, maker of
heaven and earth, and of all
things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus
Christ, the only begotten Son
of God. And born of the
Father before all ages; God
of God, light of light ; true
God of true God. Begotten,
not made; consubstantial to
the Father, by whom all
things were made. Who for
us men, and for our salvation,
came down from heaven.
And became incarnate by the
Holy Ghost, of the Virgin
Mary ; and was made man.
He was crucified also for us,
under Pontius Pilate, suffered,
and was buried. And the
third day he rose again, ac-
cording to the Scriptures.
And ascended into heaven,
sitteth at the right hand of
the Father. And he is to
come again with glory, to
judge the living and the dead ;
of whose kingdom there shall
be no end.

And in the Holy Ghost,
the Lord and giver of life,
who proceedeth from the
Father and the Son. Who
together with the Father and
the Son, is adored and glori-
fied ; who spoke by the Pro-
phets. And one holy Catho-
lic and Apostolic Church. I
confess one Baptism for the
remission of sins. _ And I
expect the resurrection of the
dead, and the life of the world
to come. Amen.

Credo in unum Deum,
Patrem omnipotentem, fac-
torem cceli et terras, visibi-
lium omnium et invisibi-
lium.

Et in unum Dominum
Jesum Christum, Filium Dei
unigenitum. Et ex Patre
natum ante omnia saecula,
Deum de Deo, lumen de
lumine,DeumVerum de Deo
vero. Genitum non factum,
consubstantialem, Patri, per
quern omnia facta sunt. Qui
propter nos homines, et prop-
ter nostram salutem, descen-
dit de ccelis. Et incamatus
est de Spiritu Sancto, ex
Maria Virgine ; et homo

FACTTJS EST. CnicifixuS

etiam pro nobis sub Pontio
Pilato, passus, et sepultus
est. Et resurrexit tertia die,
secundum Scripturas. Et
ascendit in ccelum ; sedet ad
dexteram Patris. Et iterum
venturus est cum gloria judi-
care vivos et mortuos ; cujus
regni non erit finis.

Et in Spiritum Sanctum,
Dominum et vivificantem,
qui ex Patre Filioque proce-
dit. Qui cum Patre et Filio
simul adoratur, et conglori-
ficatur ; qui locutus est per
Prophetas. Et unam sanc-
tam Catholicam et Apostoli-
cam Ecclesiam. Confiteor
unum Baptisma in remissio-
nem peccatorum. Et exspec-
to resurrectionum mortuo-
rum, et vitam venturi sseculi.
Amen.

64 CHRISTMAS.

The Priest and the people should, by this time,
have their hearts ready : it is time to prepare the
offering itself. And here we come to the second part
of the Holy Mass, which is called the Oblation, and
which immediately follows that, which was called the
Mass of Catechumens, on account of its being for-
merly the only part, at which the candidates for
Baptism had a right to be present,

See, then, dear Christians ! bread and wine are
about to be offered to God, as being the noblest of
inanimate creatures, since they are made for the
nourishment of man ; and even that is only a poor
material image of what they are destined to become
in our Christian Sacrifice. Their substance will soon
give place to God himself, and of themselves nothing
will remain but the appearances. Happy creatures,
thus to yield up their own being, that God may take
its place ! We, too, are to undergo a like transforma-
tion, when, as the Apostle expresses it, that which to
us is mortal, shall put on immortality.1 Until that
happy change shall be realised, let us offer ourselves
to God, as often as we see the bread and wine pre-
sented to him in the Holy Sacrifice ; and let us glorify
Him, who, by assuming our human nature, has
made us partakers of the divine nature?

The Priest again turns to the people with the
usual salutation, as though he would warn them to
redouble their attention. Let us read the Offertory
with him, and when he offers the Host to God, let us
unite with him in saying :

Suscipe, sancte Pater, All that we have, 0 Lord,

omnipotens seterne Dens, comes from thee, and belongs

hanc immaculatam hostiam, to thee ; it is just, therefore,

quam ego indignus famn- that we return it unto thee,

lus tnus offero tibi Deo meo But, how wonderful art thou

vivo et vero, pro innumera- in the inventions of thy im-

1 I. Cor. xv. 53. 2 II. St. Pet i. 4.

THE OKDINARY OF THE MASS.

65

mense love ! This bread
which we are offering to thee,
is to give place, in a few
moments, to the sacred Body
of Jesus. We beseech thee,
receive, together with this
oblation, our hearts which
long to live by thee, and to
cease to live their own life of
self.

bilibus peccatis et offen-
sionibuset negligentiismeis,
et pro omnibus circumstan-
tibus, sed et pro omnibus
fidelibus christianis vivis
atque defunctis ; ut mihi
et illis proficiat ad salutem
in vitam aeternam. Amen.

When the Priest puts the wine into the chalice,
and then mingles with it a drop of water, let your
thoughts turn to the divine mystery of the Incarna-
tion, which is manifested to the world by the Birth
of our Emmanuel ; and say :

0 Lord Jesus, who art the
true Vine, and whose Blood,
like a generous wine, has
been poured forth under the
pressure of the Cross ! thou
hast deigned to unite thy
divine nature to our weak
humanity, which is signified
by this drop of water. 0
come and make us partakers
of thy divinity, by showing
thyself to us in thy sweet and
wondrous visit.

Deus qui humanae sub-
stantia dignitatem mirabi-
liter condidisti,etmirabilius
reformasti : da nobis per
hujus aquae et vini myste-
rium, ejus divinitatis esse
consortes, qui humanitatis
nostrse fieri dignatus est
particeps, Jesus Christus
Filius tuus Dominus noster:
qui tecum vivit et regnat
in unitate Spiritus Sancti
Deus, per omnia saecula
saeculorum. Amen.

The Priest then offers the mixture of wine and
water, beseeching God graciously to accept this
oblation, the figure of which is so soon to be changed
into the reality, of which it is now but the figure.
Meanwhile, say, in union with the Priest :

Graciously accept these
gifts, 0 sovereign Creator of
all things. Let them be fitted
for the divine transformation,
which will make them, from

Offerimus tibi, Domine,
calicem salutaris, tuam de-
precantes clementiam : ut in
conspectu divinae Majestatis
tuae, pro nostra et totius
F

66 CHRISTMAS.

mundi salute, cum odore being mere offerings of created
suavitatis ascendat. Amen, things, the instrument of the

world's salvation.

After having thus held up the sacred gifts towards
heaven, the Priest bows down : let us, also, humble
ourselves, and say :

In spiritu humilitatis, et Though daring, as we do, to

in animo contrito suscipia- approach thy altar, O Lord,

mur a te, Domine : et sic fiat we cannot forget that we are

sacrificium nostrum in con- sinners. Have mercy on us,

spectu tuo hodie, ut placeat and delay not to send us thy

tibi, Domine Deus. Son, who is our saving Host.

Let us next invoke the Holy Ghost, whose opera-
tion is about to produce on the altar the presence of
the Son of God, as it did in the womb of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, in the divine mystery of the Incarna-
tion :

Veni, Sanctificator om- Come, O Divine Spirit,
nipotens seterne Deus, et make fruitful the offering
benedic hoc sacrificium tuo which is upon the altar, and
sancto noniini prasparatum. produce in our hearts Him

whom they desire.

If it be a High Mass, the Priest, before proceeding
any further with the Sacrifice, takes the thurible a
second time. He first incenses the bread and wine
which have been just offered, and then the altar
itself; hereby inviting the faithful to make their
prayer, which, is signified by the incense, more and
more fervent, the nearer the solemn moment ap-
proaches. St. John tells us, that the incense, which
burns on the Altar in heaven, is made of the Prayers
of the Saints. During Christmastide, therefore, we
may look on the fragrant cloud, which covers our
Altar here on earth, as an emblem of the prayers
said by the Shepherds round the Crib, and of the
adorations paid by the Magi to the Infant-God. Let

THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS.

67

us imitate them ; for, this same Jesus is soon to be
on our Altar.

But the thought of his own unworthiness becomes
more intense than ever in the heart of the Priest.
The public confession, which he made at the foot of
the altar, is not enough ; he would now, at the altar
itself, express to the people, in the language of a
solemn rite, how far he knows himself to be from
that spotless sanctity, wherewith he should approach
to God. He washes his hands. Our hands signify
our works ; and the Priest, though by his priesthood
he bear the office of Jesus Christ, is, by his works,
but man. Seeing your Father thus humble himself,
do you also make an act of humility, and say with
him these verses of

psalm 25.

I, too, would wash my
hands, O Lord, and become
like unto those who are in-
nocent, that so I may be wor-
thy to come near thy altar,
and hear thy sacred Canticles,
and then go and proclaim to
the world the wonders of thy
goodness. I love the beauty
of thy House, which thou art
about to make the dwelling-
place of thy glory. Leave me
not, O God, in the midst of
them that are enemies both
to thee and me. Thy mercy
having separated me from
them, I entered on the path of
innocence, and was restored to
thy grace ; but have pity on
my weakness still ; redeem me
yet more, thou who hast so
mercifully brought me back to
the right path. In the midst
of these thy faithful people, I
give thee thanks. Glory be to

Lavabo inter innocentes
manus meas : et circumdabo
altare tuum, Domine.

Ut audiam vocem laudis :
et enarrem universa mira-
bilia tua.

Domine, dilexi decorem
domus tuae, et locum habi-
tafcionis gloriae tuae.

Ne perdas cum impiis,

Deus,

ammam meam, et

cum vins sangumum vitam
meam.

In quorum manibus ini-
quitatessunt : dexteraeoram
repleta est muneribus.

Ego autem in innocentia
mea ingressus sum : redime
me, et miserere mei.

Pes meus stetit in directo :
in ecclesiis benedicam te,
Domine.

Gloria Patri, et Filio, et
Spiritui Sancto.

Sicut erat in principio, et

68 CHRISTMAS.

nunc, et semper, et in ssecula the Father and to the Son,
saeculorum. Amen. and to the Holy Ghost ; as it

was in the beginning, is now,
and ever shall be, world with-
out end. Amen.

The Priest, taking encouragement from the act of
humility he has just made, returns to the middle of
the altar, and bows down full of respectful awe,
begging of God to receive graciously the Sacrifice
which is about to be offered to him, and expresses
the intentions for which it is offered. Let us do the
same.

Suscipe, sancta Trinitas, 0 Holy Trinity, graciously
hanc oblationem, quam tibi accept the Sacrifice we have
offerimus ob memoriam Pas- begun. We offer it in reniem-
sionis, Resurrectionis, et As- brance of the Passion, Resur-
censionis Jesu Christi Do- rection, and Ascension of our
mini nostri : et in honore Lord Jesus Christ. Permit
beatse Marias semper Virgi- thy Church to join with this
nis, et beati Joannis Bap- intention that of honouring
tistae, et sanctorum Aposto- the ever glorious Virgin Mary,
lorum Petri et Pauli, et the Blessed Baptist John, the
istorum, et omnium Sane- holy Apostles Peter and Paul,
torum : ut illis proficiat ad the Martyrs whose relics he
honorem, nobis autem ad here under our altar awaiting
salutem : et illi pro nobis their resurrection, and the
intercedere dignentur in Saints whose memory we this
coelis, quorum memoriam day celebrate. Increase the
agimus in terris. Per eum- glory they are enjoying, and
dem Christum Dominum receive the prayers they ad-
nostrum. Amen. dress to thee for us.

The Priest again turns to the people ; it is for the
last time before the sacred Mysteries are accomplished.
He feels anxious to excite the fervour of the people.
Neither does the thought of his own unworthiness
leave him ; and before entering the cloud with the
Lord, he seeks support in the prayers of his brethren
who are present. He says to them :

THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS. 69

Brethren, pray that my Sa- Orate, fratres : ut meum

crifice, which is yours also, ac vestrum sacrificium ac-

may be acceptable to God, our ceptabile fiat apud Deum

Almighty Father. Patrem omnipotentem.

With this request he turns again to the altar, and
you will see his face no more, until our Lord himself
shall have come down from heaven upon that same
altar. Assure the Priest that he has your prayers,
and say to him :

May our Lord accept this Suscipiat Dominus sacri-

Sacrifice at thy hands, to the ficium de manibus tuis, ad

praise and glory of his name, laudem et gloriam nominis

and for our benefit and that of sui, ad utilitatem quoque

his holy Church throughout nostram totiusque Ecelesise

the world. suae sanctaa.

Here the Priest recites the prayers called the Se-
crets, in which he presents the petition of the whole
Church for God's acceptance of the Sacrifice, and then
immediately begins to fulfil that great duty of reli-
gion, Thanksgiving. So far he has adored God, and
has sued for mercy ; he has still to give thanks for the
blessings bestowed on us by the bounty of oar heavenly
Father, and expressly for that chief est of all his gifts
— the Messias. We are on the point of receiving a
new visit of this Son of God ; the Priest, in the name
of the Church, is about to give expression to the
gratitude of all mankind. In order to excite the
faithful to that intensity of gratitude which is due to
God for all his gifts, he interrupts his own and their
silent prayer by terminating it aloud, saying :

For ever and ever ! Per omnia saecula saaculo-

rum !

In the same feeling, answer your Amen ! Then
he continues :

jV. The Lord be with you. $". Dominus vobiscum.

1$. And with thy spirit. I£. Et cum spiritu tuo.

y. Lift up your hearts ! $". Sursum corda !

70 CHRISTMAS.

Let your response be sincere :

1$. Habemus ad Domi- ]^. We have them fixed on
num. God.

And when he adds :

J*. Gratias agamus Do- *. Let us give thanks to
mino Deo nostro. the Lord our God.

Answer him with all the earnestness of your soul :
1$. Dignum et justum est. 1^. It is meet and just.

Then the Priest :

PREFACE ■}

Vere dignum et justum < It is truly meet and just,

est, aequuin et salutare, nos right and available to salva-

tibi semper et ubique gra- tion, that we should always

tias agere : Domine sanctej and in all places give thanks

Pater omnipotens, seterne to thee, O holy Lord, Father

Deus ; quia per inearnati Almighty, eternal God ; for

Verbi mysterium, nova men- that, by the mystery of the

tis nostrse oculis lux tuae Incarnate Word, a new ray of

claritatis infulsit : ut dum thy glory has appeared to the

visibiliter Deum cognosci- eyes of our soul : so that, while

mus, per hunc in invisibi- we behold God visibly, we may

lium amorem rapiamur : et be carried by him to the love

ideo cum Angelis et Arch- of things invisible : and there-

angelis, cum Thronis et Do- fore, with the Angels and

minationibus, cumque omni Archangels, with the Thrones

militia coelestis exercitus, and Dominations, and with all

hymnum glorise tuse cani- the heavenly host, we sing a

mus, sine fine dicentes. hymn to thy glory, saying un-
ceasingly :

1 This Preface is said on Christmas Day, and during Us Octave ;
on the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus ; and on the Purification
of the Blessed Virgin. The Prefaces for the Epiphany, of the
Blessed Trinity, and of the Apostles, will be given in their prover
places. — The following is the Common Preface, lohich is said as
often as there is not a proper one assigned.

PREFACE.

Vere dignum et justum est, It is truly meet and just, right
aequum et salutare, nos tibi and available to salvation, that
semper et ubique gratias agere : we should always and in all places

THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS.

71

Here unite with the Priest, who, on his part, unites
himself with the blessed Spirits, in giving thanks to
God for the unspeakable Gift : bow down and say :

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God
of hosts !

Heaven and earth are full
of thy glory.

Hosanna in the highest!

Blessed be the Saviour
whom we were expecting, and
who is coming to us in the
name of the Lord who sends
him.

Hosanna be to him in the
highest !

Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanc-
tus, Dominus Deus sabaoth !

Pleni sunt coeli et terrae
gloria tua.

Hosanna in excelsis !

Benedictus qui venit in
nomine Domini.

Hosanna in excelsis !

After these words commences the Canon, that mys-
terious prayer, in the midst of which heaven bows
down to earth, and God descends unto us. The voice
of the Priest is no longer heard ; yea, even at the
altar, all is silence. It was thus, says the Book of
Wisdom, in the quiet of silence, and while the night
was in the midst of her course, that the Almighty
Word came down from his royal throne} Let us
await him in a like silence, and respectfully fix our
eyes on what the Priest does in the holy place.

give thanks to thee, 0 holy Lord,
Father Almighty, eternal God :
through Christ our Lord ; by
whom the Angels praise thy ma-
jesty, the Dominations adore it,
the powers tremble before it ; the
heavens and the heavenly Virtues,
and the blessed Seraphim, with
common jubilee, glorify it. To-
gether -with whom, we beseech
thee that we may be admitted
to join our humble voices, say-
ing ;

Domine sancte, Pater omnipo-
tens, eeterne Deus, per Chris-
tum Dominum nostrum ; pe
quern majestatemtuam laudant
Angeli, adorant Dominationes,
tremunt Potestates, Coeli, coe-
lorumque Virtutes, ac beata
Seraphim, socia exultatione
concelebrant. Cum quibus et
nostras voces, ut admitti ju-
beas deprecamur, supplici con-
fessione dicentes.

1 Wisd. xviii. 14, 15.

72

CHRISTMAS.

THE CANON OF THE MASS.

In this mysterious colloquy with the great God of
heaven and earth, the first prayer of the sacrificing
Priest is for the Catholic Church, his and our Mother.

Te igitur, clementissime
Pater, per Jesum Christum
Filium tuum Doniinum nos-
trum supplices rogamus ac
petimus, uti accepta habeas,
et benedicas hsec dona, haec
munera, hsec sancta sacri-
ficia illibata, in primis quae
tibi offerimus pro Ecclesia
tua sancta Catholica : quam
pacificare, custodire, adu-
nare, et regere digneris toto
orbe terrarum, una cum fa-
mulo tuo Papa nostro 1ST. et
Antistite nostro N., et om-
nibus orthodoxis, atque ca-
tholicae et apostolicas fidei
cultoribus,

0 God, who manif estest thy-
self unto us by means of the
mysteries which thou hast en-
trusted to thy holy Church,
our Mother ; we beseech thee,
by the merits of this sacrifice,
that thou wouldst remove all
those hindrances which op-
pose her during her pilgrimage
in this world. Give her peace
and unity. Do thou thyself
guide our Holy Father the
Pope, thy Vicar on earth. Di-
rect thou our Bishop, who is
our sacred link of unity ; and
watch over all the orthodox
children of the Catholic Apos-
tolic Roman Church.

Here pray, together with the Priest, for those whose
interests should be dearest to you.

Memento, Domine, famu-
lorum famularumque tua-
rum N. et N., et omnium
circumstantium, quorum
tibi fides cognita est, et nota
devotio : pro quibus tibi
offerimus, vel qui tibi offe-
runt hoc sacrmcium laudis,
pro se, suisque omnibus, pro
redemptione animarum sua-
rum, pro spe salutis et in-
columitatis suae ; tibique
reddunt vota sua aeterno
Deo, vivo et vero.

Permit me, 0 God, to inter-
cede with thee in more earnest
prayer for those, for whom
thou knowest that I have a
special obligation to pray :
# * * pour down thy bless-
ings upon them. Let them
partake of the fruits of this
divine Sacrifice, which is
offered unto thee in the name
of all mankind. Visit them
by thy grace, pardon them
their sins, grant them the bless-
ings of this present life and of
that which is eternal.

THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS.

73

Here let us commemorate the Saints : they are
that portion of the Body of Jesus Christ, which is
called the Church Triumphant.

But the offering of this Sa-
crifice, O my God, does not
unite us with those only of our
brethren who are still in this
transient life of trial : it brings
us closer to those also, who
are already in possession of
heaven— Therefore it is, that
we wish to honour by it the
memory of the glorious and
ever Virgin Mary, of whom
Jesus is born to us ; of the
Apostles, Confessors, Virgins,
and of all the Saints ; that so
they may assist us, by their
powerful intercession, to be-
come worthy to see Jesus in
Bethlehem, and to contem-
plate thee, as they now do, in
the mansion of thy glory.

Communicantes, et me-
moriam venerantes, in pri-
mis gloriosae semper Virgi-
nis Mariae, Genitricis Dei et
Domini nostri Jesu Christi :
sed et beatorum Apostolo-
rum ac Martyrum tuorum,
Petri etPauli, Andreae, Jaco-
bi, Joannis, Thomae, Jacobi,
Philippi, Bartholomaei, Mat-
thaei, Simonis, et Thaddaei :
Lini, Cleti, Clementis, Xysti,
Cornelii, Cypriani, Lauren-
tii, Chrysogoni, Joannis et
Pauli, Cosmae et Damiani,
et omnium sanctorum tuo-
rum, quorum meritis preci-
busque concedas, ut in om-
nibus protectionis tuae mu-
niamur auxilio. Per eum-
dem Christum Dominum
nostrum. Amen.

The Priest, who, up to this time, had been praying
with his hands extended, now joins them, and holds
them over the bread and wine, as the High Priest of
the Old Law did over the figurative victim : he thus
expresses his intention of bringing these gifts more
closely under the notice of the Divine Majesty, and
of marking them as the material offering whereby we
profess our dependence, and which is, in a few in-
stants, to yield its place to the living Host, upon
whom all our iniquities are to be laid.

Vouchsafe, 0 God, to accept
this offering which this thy
assembled family presents to
thee as the homage of its most
happy servitude. In return,
give us peace, save us from

Hanc igitur oblationem
servitutis nostrae, sed et
cunctse familiae tuae, quae-
sumus Domine, ut placatus
accipias : diesque nostros in
tua pace disponas, atque ab

74

CHRISTMAS.

aeterna damnatione nos
eripi, et in electoram tuo-
rum jubeas grege numerari.
Per Christum Dominuni
nostrum. Amen.

Quam oblation em tu Deus
in omnibus qusesumus, be-
nedictam, adscriptam, ra-
tam, rationabilem, accepta-
bilemque facere digneris ;
ut nobis Corpus et Sanguis
fiat dilectissimi Filii tui
Domini nostri Jesu Christi.

thy wrath, and number us
among thy elect, through Him
who is coming to us, thy Son
our Saviour.

Yea, Lord, this is the mo-
ment when this bread is to
become his sacred Body, which
is our food ; and this wine is
to be changed into his Blood,
which is our drink. Ah ! de-
lay no longer, but send to us
this divine Son our Saviour !

And here the Priest ceases to act as man ; he now
becomes more than a mere minister of the Church.
His word becomes that of Jesus Christ, with all its
power and efficacy. Prostrate yourself in profound
adoration ; for the Emmanuel, the God with us, is

coming down from heaven.

Qui pridie quam patere-
tur, accepit panem in sanc-
tas ac venerabiles manus
suas : et elevatis oculis in
coelum, ad te Deum Patrem
suum omnipotentem, tibi
gratias agens, benedixit,
fregit, deditque discipulis
suis, dicens : Accipite, et
manducate ex hoc omnes.

HOC EST ENIM COEPUS
MEUM.

What, 0 God of heaven and
earth, my Jesus, the long ex-
pected Messias, what else can
I do at this solemn moment
but adore thee, in silence, as
my sovereign Master, and
open my whole heart to thee,
as to its dearest King ! Come,
then, Lord Jesus, come !

The Divine Lamb, the Son of Mary, is now lying
on our Altar ! Glory and love be to him for ever !
But he is come, that he may be immolated. When
Isaias, in prophetic vision, contemplated this Child
that is born unto us, he saw, that even then his go-
vernment was upon his shoulder? and this was the
Cross. Hence, the Priest, who is the minister of the
will of the Most High, immediately pronounces over

1 Is. ix. 6.

THE OKDINARY OF THE MASS.

75

the Chalice those sacred words, which will produce
the great mystical immolation, by the separation of
the Victim's Body and Blood. The substances of
bread and wine have ceased to exist: the species
alone are left, veiling, as it were, the Body and Blood,
lest fear should keep us from a mystery, which God
gives us in order to give us confidence. Let us asso-
ciate ourselves to the Angels, who tremblingly look,
upon this deepest wonder.

O Precious Blood ! thou
price of my salvation ! I adore
thee ! Wash away my sins,
and give me a purity above the
whiteness of snow. Lamb
ever slain, yet ever living, thou
comest to take away the sins
of the world ! Come also and
reign in me by thy power and
by thy love.

Simili modo postquam
ccenatum est, accipiens et
hunc praeclarum Calicem in
sanctas ac venerabiles ma-
nus suas : item tibi gratias
agens, benedixit, deditque
discipulis suis, dicens : Ae-
cipite et bibite ex eo omnes.

HlC EST ENIM CALIX SAN-
GUINIS MEI, NO VI ET ^ETERNI
TESTAMENTI : MYSTERIUM
FIDEI : QUI PRO VOBIS ET
PRO MULTIS EFFUNDETUR
IN REMISSIONEM PECCATO-

rum. Hsec quotiescumque
feceritis, in mei memoriam
facietis.

The Priest is now face to face with God. He again
raises his hands towards heaven, and tells our hea-
venly Father, that the oblation, now on the altar, is
no longer an earthly offering, but the Body and Blood,
the whole Person, of his divine Son.

Father of infinite holiness,
the Host so long expected is
here before thee ! Behold
this thy eternal Son, who suf-
fered a bitter passion, rose
again with glory from the
grave, and ascended trium-
phantly into heaven. He is
thy Son ; but he is also our
Host — Host pure and spotless

Unde et memores, Do-
mine, nos servi tui, sed et
plebs tua sancta, ejusdem
Christi Filii tui Domini nos-
tri tarn beatse Passionis, nee
non et ab inferis Resurrec-
tion] s, sed et in ccelos glo-
riosse Ascensionis : offeri-
mus prseclarse majestati tuae
de tuis donis ac datis Hos-

76

CHRISTMAS.

tiam puram, Hostiam sanc-
tam, Hostiam immacula-
tam : Panem sanctum vitae
aeternae, et Calicem salutis
perpetuae.

Supra quae propitio ac
sereno vultu respicere dig-
neris : et accepta habere,
sicuti accepta habere digna-
tus es munera pueri tui justi
Abel, et sacrificium Patri-
archae nostri Abrahas, et
quod tibi obtulit summus
Sacerdos tuus Melchisedech,
sanctum sacrificium, imma-
culatam hostiam.

— our Meat and Drink of ever-
lasting life.

Heretofore thou didst accept
the sacrifice of the innocent
lambs offered to thee by Abel ;
and the sacrifice which Abra-
ham made thee of his son
Isaac, who, though immolated,
yet lived ; and, lastly, the
sacrifice, which Melchisedech
presented thee, of bread and
wine. Receive our Sacrifice,
which is above all those others.
It is the Lamb, of whom all
others could be but figures : it
is the undying Victim : it is
the Body of thy Son, who is
the Bread of Life, and his
Blood, which, whilst a Drink
of immortality for us, is a tri-
bute adequate to thy glory.

The Priest bows down to the altar, and kisses it as
the throne of love on which is seated the Saviour of
Do you look at it with love, as the Crib, where-

men.

on is laid, veiled in the eucharistic elements, that
Jesus who has said : I am the Bread of life.

Supplices te rogamus, om-
nipotens Deus : jube haec
perferri per manus sancti
Angeli tui in sublime Altare
tuum, in conspectu divinse
Majestatistuse : ut quotquot
ex hac altaris participatione,
sacrosanctum Filii tui Cor-
pus et Sanguinem sumpseri-
mus, omni benedictione coe-
lesti et gratia repleamur.
Per eumdem Christum Do-
minum nostrum. Amen.

But, O God of infinite
power, these sacred gifts are
not only on this altar here be-
low ; they are also on that sub-
lime Altar of heaven, which
is before the throne of thy di-
vine Majesty. These two al-
tars are but one and the same,
on which is accomplished the
great mystery of thy glory and
our salvation. Vouchsafe to
make us partakers of the Body
and Blood of the august Vic-
tim, from whom flow every
grace and blessing.

THE ORDINAEY OF THE MASS.

77

Nor is the moment less favourable for making sup-
plication for the Church Suffering. Let us, therefore,
ask the divine Liberator, who has come down amongst
us, that he mercifully visit, by a ray of his consoling
light, the dark abode of Purgatory, and permit his
Blood to flow, as a stream of mercy's dew, from this
our altar, and refresh the panting captives there.
Let us pray expressly for those amongst them, who
have a claim on our suffrages.

Dear Jesus ! let the happi-
ness of this thy visit extend to
every portion of thy Church.
Thy face gladdens the elect in
the holy City ; even our mor-
tal eyes can see beneath the
veil of our delighted faith ;
ah ! hide not thyself from
those brethren of ours, who are
imprisoned in the place of ex-
piation. Be thou refreshment
to them in their flames, light
in their darkness, and peace
in their agonies of torment.

Memento etiam, Domine,
famulorum famularumque
tuarum N. et N. qui nos
prsecesserunt cum signo
fidei, et dormiunt in somno
pacis. Ipsis Domine, et
omnibus in Christo quies-
centibus, locum refrigerii,
lucis et pacis, ut indulgeas,
deprecamur. Per eumdem
Christum Dominum nos-
trum. Amen.

This duty of charity fulfilled, let us pray for our-
selves, sinners, alas ! and who profit so little by the
visit, which our Saviour pays us. Let us, together
with the Priest, strike our breast, saying :

Alas ! we are poor sinners,
O God of all sanctity ! yet do
we hope that thy infinite
mercy will grant us to share
in thy kingdom, not, indeed,
by reason of our works, which
deserve little more than pu-
nishment, but because of the
merits of this Sacrifice, which
we are offering to thee. Re-
member, too, the merits of thy
holy Apostles, of thy holy
Martyrs, of thy holy Virgins,

Nobis quoque peccatori-
bus famuhs tuis, de multi-
tudine miserationum tua-
rum sperantibus, partem
aliquam et societatem do-
nare digneris cum tuis Sanc-
tis Apostolis et Martyribus :
cum Joanne, Stephano
Mathia, Barnaba, Ignatio
Alexandro, Marcellino, Pe-
tro, Felicitate, Perpetua,
Agatha, Lucia, Agnete,
Caecilia, Anastasia, et omni-

78 CHRISTMAS.

bus Sanctis tuis ; intra quo- and of all thy Saints. Grant us,

rum nos consortium, non by their intercession, grace in

aestimator meriti, sed venise, this world, and glory eternal

quaesumus, largitor admitte. in the next : which we ask of

Per Christum Dominum nos- thee, in the name of our Lord

trum. Per quern haec omnia, Jesus Christ, thy Son. It is

Domine, semper bona creas, by him thou bestowest upon

sanctificas, vivificas, bene- us thy blessings of life and

dicis, et prasstas nobis : per sanctification ; and by him

ipsum, et cum ipso et in also, with him, and in him, in

ipso, est tibi Deo Patri om- the unity of the Holy Ghost,

nipotenti, in unitate Spiri- may honour and glory be to

tus Sancti, omnis honor et thee !
gloria.

Whilst saying these last few words, the Priest has
taken up the sacred Host, which was on the altar ;
he has held it over the chalice, thus re-uniting the
Body and Blood of the divine Victim, in order to
show that He is now immortal. Then raising up
both Chalice and Host, he offers to God the most
noble and perfect homage which the divine Majesty
could receive.

This solemn and mysterious rite ends the Canon.
The silence of the Mysteries is broken. The Priest
concludes his long prayers, by saying aloud, and so
giving the faithful the opportunity of expressing their
desire that his supplications be granted :

Per omnia ssecula saecu- For ever and ever,
lorum.

Answer him with faith, and in a sentiment of union
with your holy Mother the Church :

Amen. Amen ! I believe the mys-

tery which has just been ac-
complished. I unite myself
to the offering which has been
made, and to the petitions of
the Church.

It is time to recite the prayer, which our Saviour
himself has taught us. Let it ascend up to heaven

THE ORDINAKY OF THE MASS. 79

together with the sacrifice of the Body and Blood of
Jesus Christ. How could it be otherwise than heard,
when he himself who made it for us, is in our very
hands now whilst we say it ? As this prayer belongs
in common to all God's children, the Priest recites it
aloud, and begins by inviting us all to join in it.

LET US PRAY. OREMTJS.

Having been taught by a Prasceptis salutaribus mo-
saving precept, and following niti, et divina institutione
the form given us by a divine f ormati, audemus dicere :
instruction, we thus presume
to speak :

THE LORD'S PRA.YER.

Our Father, who art in hea- Pater noster, qui es in

ven, hallowed be thy name ; ccelis : Sanctificetur nomen

thy kingdom come ; thy will tuum : Adveniat regnum

be done on earth as it is in tuum : Fiat voluntas tua,

heaven. Give us this day our sicut in ccelo, et in terra.

daily Bread ; and forgive us Panem nostrum quotidia-

our trespasses, as we forgive num da nobis hodie : Et

them that trespass against us ; dimitte nobis debita nostra,

and lead us not into tempta- sicut et nos dimittimus de-

tion. bitoribus nostris. Et ne nos

inducas in tentationem.

Let us answer, with deep feeling of our misery :
But deliver us from evil. Sed libera nos a malo.

The Priest falls once more into the silence of the
holy Mysteries. His first word is an affectionate
Amen to your last petition — deliver us from evil —
on which he forms his own next prayer : and could
he pray for anything more needed % Evil surrounds
us everywhere, and the Lamb on our altar has been
sent to expiate it and deliver us from it.

How many, 0 Lord, are the Libera nos, quaesumus

evils which beset us ! Evils Domine, ab omnibus maris,

past, which are the wounds prseteritis, praesentibus et

left on the soul by our sins, futuris : et intercedente

and strengthen her wicked beata et gloriosa semper Vir-

80 CHRISTMAS.

gine Dei Genitrice Maria, propensities. Evils present,
cum beatis Apostolis tuis that is, the sins now at this
Petro et Paulo, atque An- very time upon our soul ; the
drea, et omnibus Sanctis, da weakness of this poor soul ;
propitius pacem in diebus and the temptations which
nostris : ut ope misericordise molest her. There are, also,
tuaeadjuti,etapeccatosimus future evils, that is, the chas-
semper liberi, et ab omni tisement which our sins de-
perturbatione securi. Per serve from the hand of thy
eumdem Dominum nos- justice. In presence of this
trum Jesum Christum Fi- Host of our Salvation, we be-
lium tuum, qui tecum vivit seech thee, 0 Lord, to deliver
et regnat in unitate Spiritus us from all these evils, and to
Sancti Deus. accept in our favour the inter-

cession of Mary the Mother of
Jesus, of thy holy Apostles
Peter and Paul and Andrew.
Liberate us, break our chains,
give us peace : through Jesus
Christ, thy Son, who with thee
liveth and reigneth God.

The Priest is anxious to announce the Peace, which
he has asked and obtained ; he therefore finishes
his prayer aloud, saying :

Per omnia saecula ssecu- World without end.
lorum. *

1$. Amen. 1$. Amen.

Then he says :

Pax Domini sit semper May the Peace of our Lord
vobiscum. be ever with you.

To this paternal wish reply :

1$. Et cum spiritu tuo. 1$. And with thy spirit.

The Mystery is drawing to a close : God is about
to be united with man, and man with God, by means
of Communion. But first, an imposing and sublime
rite takes place at the altar. So far the Priest has
announced the Death of Jesus ; it is time to proclaim
his Resurrection. To this end, he reverently breaks

THE OEDINARY OF THE MASS. 81

the sacred Host, and having divided it into three
parts, he puts one into the Chalice, thus reuniting
the Body and Blood of the immortal Victim. Do
you adore, and say :

Glory he to thee, O Saviour Haec commixtio et conse-

of the world, who didst, in thy cratio Corporis et Sanguinis

Passion, permit thy precious Domini nostri Jesu Christi,

Blood to be separated from fiat accipientibus nobis in

thy sacred Body, afterwards vitam seternam. Amen,
uniting them again together
by thy divine power.

Offer now your prayer to the ever living Lamb,
whom St. John saw on the Altar of Heaven standing,
though slain : say to this your Lord and King :

Lamb of God, who takest Agnus Dei, qui tollis pee-
away the sins of the world, cata mundi, miserere nobis,
have mercy on us.

Lamb of God, who takest Agnus Dei, qui tollis pee-
away the sins of the world, cata mundi, miserere nobis,
have mercy on us.

Lamb of God, who takest Agnus Dei, qui tollis pee-
away the sins of the world, cata mundi, dona nobis pa-
give us Peace. cem.

Peace is the grand object of our Saviour's coming
into the world : he is the Prince of Peace. The
divine Sacrament of the Eucharist ought therefore
to be the Mystery of Peace, and the bond of Catholic
Unity ; for, as the Apostle says, all we wlto partake
of one Bread, are all one Bread and one Body} It
is on this account that the Priest, now that he is on
the point of receiving, in Communion, the Sacred
Host, prays that fraternal Peace may be preserved
in the Church, and more especially in this portion of
it, which is assembled round the altar. Pray with
him and for the same blessing :

Lord Jesus Christ, who Domine Jesu Christe, qui
saidst to thy Apostles, " my dixisti Apostolis tuis : Pa-

1 I. Cor. x. 17.

G

82

CHRISTMAS.

cem relinquo vobis, pacem
meam do vobis : ne respicias
peccata mea, sed fidem Ec-
clesiae tuse : eamque secun-
dum voluntatern tuani paci-
ficare, et coadunare digneris.
Qui vivis et regnas Deus,
per omnia saecula sseculo-
rum. Amen.

peace I leave with you, my
peace I give unto you :" regard
not my sins, but the faith of
thy Church, and grant her that
peace and unity which is ac-
cording to thy will. Who
livest and reignest God for
ever and ever. Amen.

If it be a High Mass, the Priest here gives the kiss
of peace to the Deacon, who gives it to the Sub-
Deacon, and he to the Choir. During this cere-
mony, you should excite within yourself feelings of
Christian charity, and pardon your enemies, if you
have any. Then continue to pray with the Priest :

Domine Jesu Christe, Fili
Dei vivi, qui ex voluntate
Patris, cooperante Spiritu
Sancto, per mortem tuam
mundum vivificasti : libera
me per hoc sacrosanctum
Corpus, et Sanguinem tuum,
ab omnibus iniquitatibus
meis, et universis malis, et
f ac me tuis semper inhserere
mandatis, et a te nunquam
separari permittas. Qui cum
eodem Deo Patre et Spiritu
Sancto vivis et regnas Deus
in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of
the living God, who, according
to the will of thy Father,
through the co-operation of
the Holy Ghost, hast by thy
death given life to the world ;
deliver me by this thy most
sacred Body and Blood from
all my iniquities, and from all
evils ; and make me always
adhere to thy commandments,
and never suffer me to be sepa-
rated from thee, who with the
same God the Father and the
Holy Ghost, livest and reignest
God for ever and ever. Amen.

If you are going to Communion at this Mass, say
the following Prayer ; otherwise, prepare yourself to
make a Spiritual Communion :

Perceptio Corporis tui
Domine Jesu Christe, quod
ego indignus sumere prae-
sumo, non mihi proveniat
in judicium et condemna-
tionem : sed pro tua pietate
prosit mihi ad tutamentum

Let not the participation of
thy Body, 0 Lord Jesus
Christ, which I, though un-
worthy, presume to receive,
turn to my judgment and con-
demnation ; but through thy
mercy may it be a safeguard

THE OEDINARY OF THE MASS. 83

and remedy both to my soul mentis et corporis, et ad

and body. Who with God medelam percipiendam. Qui

the Father, in the unity of the vivis et regnas cum Deo

Holy Ghost, livest and reign- Patre in unitate Spiritus

est God for ever and ever. Sancti Deus, per omnia sse-

Amen. cula sseculorum. Amen.

When the Priest takes the Host into his hands, in
order to his receiving it in Communion, say :

Come, my dear Jesus, come ! Panem ccelestem acci-

piam, et nomen Domini in-
vocabo.

When he strikes his breast, confessing his unwor-
thiness, say thrice with him these words, and in the
same disposition as the Centurion of the Gospel, who
first used them :

Lord, I am not worthy thou t)omine, non sum dignus,

shouldst enter under my roof ; ut intres sub tectum meum :

say it only with one word of sed tantum die verbo, et sa-

thine, and my soul will be nabitur anima mea.
healed.

Whilst the Priest receives the sacred Host, if you
also are to communicate; adore profoundly your God,
who is ready to take up his abode within you, and
again say to him with the spouse : Come, Lord
Jesus, come !

But should you not be going to receive sacramen-
tally, make a Spiritual Communion. Adore Jesus
Christ wTho thus visits your soul by his grace, and
say to him :

I give thee, O Jesus, this Corpus Domini nostri

heart of mine, that thou may- Jesu Christi, custodiat ani-

est dwell in it, and do with mam meam in vitam aeter-

me what thou wilt. nam. Amen.

Then the Priest takes the Chalice, in thanksgiving,
and says :

What return shall I make Quid retribuam Domino
to the Lord for all he hath pro omnibus, quae retribuit

84 CHRISTMAS.

mihi 1 Calicem salutaris ac- given to me 1 I will take the
cipiam, et nomen Domini Chalice of salvation, and will
invocabo. Laudans invoca- call upon the name of the
bo Dominum, et ab inimicis Lord. Praising I will call
meis salvus ero. upon the Lord, and I shall be

saved from mine enemies.

But if you are to make a Sacramental Communion,
you should, at this moment of the Priest's receiving
the precious Blood, again adore the God who is
coming to you, and keep to your canticle : Come,
Lord Jesus, come !

If, on the contrary, you are going to communicate
only spiritually, again adore your divine Master, and
say to him :

Sanguis Domini nostri I unite myself to thee, my

Jesu Christi custodiat ani- beloved Jesus ! do thou unite

mam meam in vitam seter- thyself to me ! and never let

nam. Amen. us be separated.

It is here that you must approach to the altar, if
you are going to Communion. The dispositions
suitable for Holy Communion during this season of
Advent, are given in the next Chapter, page 88.

The Communion being finished, and whilst the
Priest is purifying the Chalice the first time, say :

Quod ore sumpsimus, Do- Thou hast visited me, O

mine, pura mente capiamus : God, in these days of my pil-

et de munere temporali fiat grimage ; give me grace to

nobis remedium sempiter- treasure up the fruits of this

num. visit for my future eternity.

Whilst the Priest is purifying the Chalice the
second time, say :

Corpus tuum, Domine, Be thou for ever blessed, O

quod sumpsi, et Sanguis my Saviour, for having ad-

quem potavi, adhsereat vis- mitted me to the sacred mys-

ceribus meis : et prsesta ut tery of thy Body and Blood,

in me non remaneat scele- May my heart and senses pre-

rum macula, quern pura et serve, by thy grace, the purity

sancta refecerunt Sacra- which thou hast imparted to

THE OEDINAEY OF THE MASS. 85

them ; and I thus be rendered menta. Qui vivis et regnas
less unworthy of thy divine insaaculasaeculorum. Amen,
visit.

The Priest having read the Antiphon called the
Communion, which is the first part of his Thanks- ■
giving for the favour just received from God, where-
by he has renewed his divine presence among us —
turns to the people with the usual salutation ; after
which he recites the Prayers, called the Postcom-
munion, which are the completion of the Thanks-
giving. You will join him here also, thanking God
for the unspeakable gift he has just lavished on you,
and asking him, with most earnest entreaty, that he
will permit you to continue, for ever, in the company
of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

These Prayers having been recited, the Priest
again turns to the people, and full of joy for the im-
mense favour he and they have been receiving, he
says:

The Lord be with you. Dominus vobiscum.

Answer him :

Arid with thy spirit. Et cum spiritu tuo.

Go, the Mass is finished. Ite, Missa est.

1$. Thanks be to God. I£. Deo gratias.

The Priest makes a last Prayer, before giving you
his blessing : pray with him :

Eternal thanks be to thee, Plaeeat tibi, sancta Trini-
O adorable Trinity, for the tas, obsequium servitutis
mercy thou hast showed to me, mese, quod oculis tuae ma-
in permitting me to assist at jestatis indignus obtuli, tibi
this divine Sacrifice. Pardon sit acceptable, mihique, et
me the negligence and cold- omnibus, pro quibus illud
ness wherewith I have re- obtuli, sit, te miserante, pro-
ceived so great a favour, and pitiabile. Per Christum
deign to confirm the Blessing, Dominum nostrum. Amen,
which thy Minister is about to
give me in thy Name.

86

CHRISTMAS.

The Priest raises his hand, and thus blesses you :

Benedicat vos omnipotens
Deus, Pater, et Films, et
Spiritus Sanctus.

1$. Amen.

May the Almighty God,
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
bless you !

I£. Amen.

He then concludes the Mass, by reading the first
fourteen verses of the Gospel according to St. John,
which tell us of the eternity of the Word, and of the
mercy which led him to take upon himself our flesh,
and to dwell among us. Pray that you may be of
the number of those, who, now that he has come unto
his oivn, receive him, and are made the sons of God.

The beginning of the Holy
Gospel according to John.

Initium sancti Evangelii se-
cundum Joannem.

Cap. 1.

In principio erat Verbum,
et Verbum erat apud Deum,
et Deus erat Verbum. Hoc
erat in principio apud
Deum. Omnia per ipsum
facta sunt ; et sine ipso fac-
tum est nihil. Quod factum
est, in ipso vita erat, et vita
erat lux hominum : et lux in
tenebris lucet, et tenebrse
earn non comprehenderunt.
Fuit homo missus a Deo, cui
nomen erat Joannes. Hie
venit in testimonium, ut tes-
timonium perhiberet de lu-
mine, ut omnes crederent
per ilium. INTon erat ille
lux, sed ut testimonium per-
hiberet de lumine. Erat lux
vera, quae illuminat omnem
hominem venientem in hunc
mundum. In mundo erat, et
mundus per ipsum factus
est, et mundus eum non cog-
novit. In propria venit, et sui
eum non receperunt. Quot-
quot autem receperunt eum,

Ch. 1.

In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God.
The same was in the begin-
ning with God. All things
were made by him, and with-
out him was made nothing
that was made. In him was
life, and the life was the light
of men ; and the light shineth
in the darkness, and the dark-
ness did not comprehend it.
There was a man sent from
God, whose name was John.
This man came for a witness,
to give testimony of the light,
that all men might believe
through him. He was not the
light, but was to give testi-
mony of the light. That was
the true light which enligkt-
eneth every man that cometh
into this world. He was in
the world, and the world was
made by him, and the world
knew him not. He came unto
his own, and his own received

THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS.

87

him not. But as many as
received him, to them he gave
power to he made the sons of
God ; to them that believe in
his name, who are born, not of
blood, nor of the will of the
flesh, nor of the will of man,
but of God. And the
Word was made flesh, and
dwelt among us ; and we saw
his glory, as it were the glory
of the only-begotten of the
Father, full of grace and truth.
1$. Thanks be to God.

dedit eis potestatem filios
Dei fieri, his, qui credunt in
nomine ejus : qui non ex san-
guineus, neque ex volun-
tate carnis, neque ex volun-
tate viri, sed ex Deo nati
sunt. Et Verbum caro
factum est, et habitavit
in nobis : et vidimus gloriam
ejus,gloriam quasi Unigeniti
a Patre, plenum gratise et
veritatis.

I£. Deo gratias,

CHAPTER VI

OK HOLY COMMUNION DUEING CHRISTMAS.

During Advent, Holy Communion prepared the soul
for the visible Coming of her heavenly Spouse. He
graciously granted her that sublime favour, as a fore-
taste of that happy Night, in which he would show
himself to her as the Divine Babe, whose ineffable
loveliness would ravish Angels, Shepherds, and Kings.
She enjoyed something of that exquisite delight,
which Mary felt, when she had within her chaste
womb the God, who was her Child, though as yet con-
cealed from her sight.

But, now that Christmas is come ; now, that a
little Child is born unto us, cradled in the House of
Bread, which is Bethlehem ; now, that the Angels
have invited the Shepherds, and the Star the Magi,
to come and see Him and adore Him ; — the Holy
Communion must take us on further in the know-
ledge of our Incarnate Word, illumine us with
brighter Light, and produce within us a more ardent
longing to possess this Jesus, whose love and loveli-
ness gleam so magnificently through the humility of
these swathing- bands and manger.

It is no longer the invisible Jesus, preparing, by
silence and stillness, for the laborious mission of his
conquest of souls : — it is the Deliverer of mankind
who has begun to run the way y1 it is the Sun of Jus-
tice darting his first rays on our earth ; it is our God,
asking us to give Him, a weak Babe, room in our
hearts ; it is our Creator, who loveth souls,2 striving
to win our love.

1 Ps. xviii. 6. 2 Wisd. xi. 27.

BEFORE COMMUNION. 89

Then, let us go to him, that we may know him ;
let us know him, that we may love him ; let us love
him, that we may grow like him. What he demands
of us by this Christmas mystery, is, that we become,
like him, little children, for, there is now no other
means of our possessing him, no other way of going
to the Father. Therefore, come to him, ye faithful
ones, and be enlightened I1 We have ventured to
draw up these Acts, thinking that they might assist
you in your preparation for the visit you are going
to make to the Babe of Bethlehem. May you de-
rive profit from them, and pray for him who gives
you them.

BEFORE COMMUNION.

ACT OF FAITH.

Thou art about to descend into my breast, 0 eternal God !
and yet, there is nothing to betoken the approach of thy
sovereign Majesty ! As on the sacred night of thy Birth,
thy entrance into Bethlehem was in humility and in silence ;
so also now, there is nothing to tell men that thou art about
to visit me. A Little Child, veiled under the appearance of
an humble host, is coming to me, and, in a few moments, I
shall hold within me Him who created all things, the Judge
of the living and the dead ! Oh ! how I love to bow down
my reason before this wonderful Mystery ! How I love, too,
to contemplate these incomprehensible abasements of my
God, to which he has humbled himself in order that he
might exalt me ! No — Reason could never have taught me
all this ! How could Reason tell me what the infinite love
of God for his creatures can do, when she cannot even make
me see my own nothingness and sinfulness, into which, thou,
dear Jesus, art now coming ] 0 Infant-God ! I believe in
thy love, and thy love is omnipotent. I come to thee with
a simple Faith, as the Shepherds went to Bethlehem when
the Angel spoke these words to them : There is born unto
you, in the City of David, a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord :
and this shall be a sign unto you : — you sliall find the Infant

1 Ps. xxxiii. 6.

90 CHRISTMAS.

wrapped in swaddling-clothes, and laid in a crib :x they went
without delay, and found thee, and believed. I would do in
like manner, 0 my Saviour ! The sacramental veils which
cover thee, are to me, what thy infancy, thy swathing-bands,
thy crib, were to them : and I believe thee to be here really
present. Accept this homage of my firm Faith, and re-
ceive me as one of those humble Shepherds, whose simple-
heartedness merited for them the first place at the feast of
Bethlehem.

ACT OF HUMILITY.

But, sweet Saviour ! these Shepherds of Bethlehem had
another offering besides the simplicity of their Faith, which
made them pleasing to thee : — it was, the humility of their
hearts. Thou lovest the humble, 0 my God ! and therefore
thou didst prefer these humble men to all the rest of man-
kind, giving them the grand honour of being the first Wor-
shippers at thy Crib. The humility of Mary drew thee from
heaven into her chaste womb ; and the humility of these
fortunate herdsmen made thee call them to be the first to
form, with Mary, Joseph, and the Angels, thy court in this
humble Stable, which thy adorable presence has converted
into a very paradise. In this thou givest an important les-
son to me, who am to be favoured as they were, nay, who
am about to receive thee within myself. Spare me not, my
beloved Jesus ; bring down the haughtiness of my spirit ;
destroy the conceited ambitions of my heart ; cast me down
at the foot of thy Crib, and suffer me not to rise again, until
I have become one of those little Children, whom thou so
lovest, that thou thyself wouldst be one ; so the better to
come down even so low as to me. It is as a Weak Babe that
thou comest to me, 0 Infinite God ! What can I do, but be
confounded, and sink into my deep nothingness, I who have
never known the humility and simplicity of a child ! In thy
divine humility, thou wouldst not be born in any other
place than a Stable and a Crib ; my heart, then, will satisfy
thee, dear Jesus ! and Bethlehem itself, compared with me,
had not a poverty so worthy of that Majesty, which loves to
descend to what is lowest, and of that Light which glories in
shining where the darkness is thickest.

ACT OF CONTRITION.

And yet, O God of holiness ! the Stable and the Crib,
though most unworthy of thy Majesty, had nothing in them

1 St. Luke, ii. 11, 12.

BEFOKE COMMUNION. 91

which could give thee displeasure. No place, no object, in
thy whole creation, could be worthy to serve thee as throne
or palace ; but since thou wouldst have a birth-place on this
earth, the happy spot, on which thy choice would fall, would
become, however contemptible in itself, a sanctuary worthy
of thee, because thy greatness and divinity would consecrate
and enrich it. There is but one place unworthy of thee,
which thou couldst never choose : — the heart of a sinner.
Oh ! that is the Stable, that is the Crib, which would indeed
dishonour thee. Ah ! my dear Jesus ! there are certain con-
sequences, there are certain wounds scarce yet closed, left
in me by past sins, which force me to remember, that I
was once a dwelling, wherein thou couldst not enter, until
thy merciful grace had removed from me the abominations
of my sins. Miserable state ! how I now grieve over it and
detest it ! Now that I see thee become, for my sake, the
humble and lovely Babe of Bethlehem, how hateful those
sins of mine, which needed such a remedy ! and how im-
mense that love of thine, which could deign to give it me !
There surely can be no more sin, dearest Lord ! Give me
thy grace to destroy it within me, and root it up to its last
fibre. I do not forget those words of thine : Blessed are the
clean of heart, for they shall see God :l this is the moment for
me to come near thy Crib, and do far more than see thee ; —
cleanse, then, my heart, and let neither sin nor attachment
to sin ever enter there again.

ACT OF LOVE.

Such is the prayer of my contrite heart — wilt thou, my
Infant-God, reject it 1 The Church, my Mother, has led
me to Bethlehem ; there I see thee in thy Crib leaning
forward towards me, and looking on me with sweetness,
and bidding me rejoice, for that thou hast pardoned me,
OGodof infinite mercy ! and forgotten my sins. A con-
trite heart which sues for mercy, is not all thou askest
of me, nor all that I wish to offer thee : — accept, then, my
love. Is not this mystery of thy divine Childhood, a
mystery of Love? Thou comest to me, because thou
lovest me ; but thou comest to me as a little Infant, be
cause thou wishest me to love thee in return, and have
confidence in thee. I do indeed desire to love thee, sweet
Saviour ! — but, where shall I find a love worthy of being a
return for thine, which is so generous, so immense, and

1 St. Matth. v. 8.

92 CHRISTMAS.

what I can least understand, so tender ? for, it is the love
of an Infant-God, who treats me, a sinner, as a much-loved
Brother. Yet I must say it, my sweetest Jesus ! for thy
Crib and thy Swathing-bands, the magnificent trophies of
thy unmatched love, encourage me to say it : — / love thee !
I come to thee, that I may love thee better. I no longer
wish to flee from thee : thou desirest to be united to me by
love, nor will I cease to sigh after thee, until I have received
thee into my heart, and am made one with thee, according
to thy word : He that eateth my Flesh, abideth in me, and I
in him. l O my Jesus ! inflame my heart and make it like that
of the Shepherds, when they came near to the Stable where
thou wast born ; like that of the Magi, when the Star stood
over Bethlehem, the Mouse of Bread, and showed them that
their journeying was at an end; like that of the venerable
Simeon, when he saw the Christ of the Lord in Mary's arms,
and all the promises fulfilled, which he had received from
the Holy Ghost. I offer thee the love of these and all thy
Saints, of thy Holy Angels, and of thy Blessed Mother her-
self : let it supply the poverty of my own love, and deign, I
beseech thee, to enrich me, by this thy visit, with the gold
of divine charity.

ACT OF DESIRE.

I love thee, 0 Divine Babe ! therefore do I desire thee,
and beseech thee to come to me. I must needs desire thee,
for thou art, as thy Scripture tells me, The Desire of the
everlasting hills} And art thou not Light and Life 1 Oh !
come, then. Divine Sun of Justice, enlighten my darkness,
and _ give life to my soul, which faints without thee. The
Nations of the earth awaited thee, as their Deliverer. The
Church, thy Spouse, languished with longings for thy visit.
Abraham, and all the Patriarchs, desired to see thy day.
Joseph, the Spouse of Mary, is filled with joy at the
approach of that blissful hour, when his eyes shall see
the Son of the Eternal God. The Shepherds are impatient
to behold thee : let us go over to Bethlehem, they say, and
let us see this Word which is come to pass, which the Lord
hath shewed to us. The Magi no sooner see the Star, than
they set out to seek thee, the Star of Jacob.3 The aged
Simeon is filled with the Holy Ghost, and hastens to the
Temple to see the Saviour whom the Lord had prepared.

1 St. John, vi. 57. 2 Gen. xlix. 26. 3 Num. xxiv. 17.

AFTEE COMMUNION. 93

Anna, the Prophetess, is impelled by a holy enthusiasm,
though weighed down with years, to come and see Him, who
is the Consolation of Israel. All creation is excited : the
very Angels leave heaven to come to see thee in thy Crib
and thy Swaddling-clothes, and seeing thee, to adore. Shall
I alone be indifferent 1 Let it not be, my dearest Lord !
but, rather, let my heart long for thee, if not with a like
ardour, at least with all its affection. I beseech thee, there-
fore, come into my soul ! I offer thee all the prayers and
inflamed desires of all thy Saints ; and with theirs, my own,
poor and weak as they are. Yea, come to me ; enter into
my house ; let my heart meet thee ; nay — let it be united
with thee.

O Mary ! Virgin-Mother of the Messias ! help me, by thy
prayers, to love him as thou didst, that is, with my whole
strength : and lead me to Bethlehem, of which thou art
Queen. — Ye holy Angels ! suffer me to stand, in your glori-
ous choir, near the Crib of our God ; fit me, by your hea-
venly influence, to share in your adorations, and, under the
shadow of your sacred wings, to hide the tatters of my spi-
ritual poverty. — All ye Saints of God ! by the delights you
found in the mystery of Bethlehem, help me, and be near
me, now that the great God, who filled you with light and
love, is about to come into the poor dark dwelling of my
heart ! Amen.

In order to make your Preparation complete, follow,
with a lively faith and attention, all the mysteries of
the Mass at which you are to receive Communion ;
using, for this purpose, the method we have given in
the preceding Chapter. For your Thanksgiving after
Communion, you may sometimes recite the following
Acts.

AFTER COMMUNION.

ACT OF ADORATION".

Thou hast, then, come down even unto me, 0 my Sove-
reign Lord ! and art reposing in my heart, as in a Crib, which
thou hast vouchsafed to choose for thyself, O Infant-God !
My heart is now become like a new Bethlehem, O Bread of
Angels ! I most devoutly adore thee, thee the great God thus
humbling thyself to such an abyss of lowliness. To the
hymn of the Angels, Glory be to God in the highest ; I must

94 CHRISTMAS.

needs add, Glory be to thee, my God, in this depth of my
misery and weakness, whither thou hast so mercifully come !
Oh ! who will teach me, my sweetest Infant-Guest ! who will
teach me how to give thee a worthy welcome of homage 1
Mary, thy most pure and Blessed Mother, having given thee
birth, and placed thee in the Crib, prostrated herself before
thee as thy humble handmaid, and adored thee. Never had
this guilty earth witnessed a homage so sublime as this :
and thou didst deign to accept it, as the noblest thou hadst
ever received. Permit me to imitate this thy beloved Mother,
and adore thee as she did, 0 thou my Sovereign Lord ! I
humbly beseech thee to accept her homage to supply for the
un worthiness of mine ; for, she is my Mother, and thou hast
willed that all her riches and merits should belong to her
children. — I offer thee, likewise, the adorations of that Just
Man, the chaste Spouse of Mary, the admirable Joseph,
who had been admitted into the divine secret of Nazareth,
and is now made a witness of the touching mystery of
Bethlehem. Oh ! that I might share in the devoted respect
and love of this glorious Saint, so grand because so simple,
and so favoured above all mortals in that he was chosen to
protect thy Infancy ! — I also adore thee in company with
the Angels, the Shepherds, and the Magi ; with Simeon, and
Anna, and all the Church of heaven and earth, which con-
templates, in glad amazement, the sublime miracle of this
abasement of thy divine Majesty.

ACT OF THANKSGIVING.

But it is not enough, 0 Divine Babe ! that I adore thee ; I
must thank thee. What an honour this thou hast conferred
upon me ! What happiness this thou hast brought me ! I,
a sinner, am become, by thy sweet condescension, a living
Bethlehem, possessing in itself Thee, the Bread of Life.
Thy sovereign Majesty has come down even to me, and has
chosen my heart for thy throne, or rather, for thy Crib.
The holy Angels adore thee, and praise thee ; but thou art
granting to me an intimacy which these Blessed Spirits have
not — thou art reposing on my heart. The Shepherds are
admitted into the Stable to look at thee ; they gaze upon
thee with simple and loving admiration ; but thou dost not
permit them to caress thee. The Magi offer thee their royal
gifts i but, as the prophecy said of them,1 they kiss but the
ground whereon thy Crib is placed. Happy, then, the aged

1 Ps. lxxi.

AFTER COMMUNION. 95

Simeon, who is permitted to take thee into his arms ; but
oh ! how happier I ! who have received into myself, and now
hold within me, Thee, my Jesus, the Bread of Life ! Blessed
be thou for ever, 0 my God ! for that thou hast treated,
with such incomprehensible familiarity, this the poorest of
all thy servants ! I thank thee, and glorify thee, as did the
Shepherds, who went so eagerly to Bethlehem, and returned
glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen;
and with such glowing words did they praise thee, that all
that heard, wondered at those things that were told them by
the Shepherds} So, too, will I open my lips, and, borrow-
ing the words of a Son of Bethlehem, David, thy ancestor,
I will say : All ye that fear God, come and hear, and I will
tell you what great things he hath done to my soul.2

ACT OF LOVE.

Yea, in very truth, thou hast loved me, 0 my divine
Guest ! for thou hast laden me with the gifts of thy love.
How shall I not return thee love for love, and love thee
with all this heart of mine, wherein thou dwellesf? Be
thou loved, then, my infinitely amiable Jesus of Bethlehem !
It was to win our love, that thou didst lay aside all thy
greatness, and, as thy Apostle expresses it,3 empty thyself
of all thy majesty, assuming the form of a servant, nay,
of a weak Babe. Verily, to approach thee now with fear
and trembling seems out of season ; and such loveliness
as this should not be approached, but with confident ten-
derest love. 0 thou that art to be my dread Judge ! thou
art now here, resting on my heart ; thou art, thou wishest to
be, in my power ; and, according to thine own saying, thou
art mine, and I am thine. Jesus ! most amiable Jesus !
remain with me for ever. Here take up thy abode ; here
grow before God and men ; here reign as my Lord, and
King, and God. To supply for the deficiency of my own
love, I offer thee the love wherewith Mary, thy most holy
Mother, pressed thee to her sacred Heart, during these the
first days of thy life on earth ; the love wherewith Joseph,
the chaste Spouse of Mary, and thy foster-father, so dili-
gently procured thee all thou didst need ; the love where-
with the Shepherds of Bethlehem gazed on thee, the Saviour,
that was born for them, and knew thee by this sign that thou
wast an Infant — lying — swathed — in a manger ;4 the love

1 St. Luke, ii. 16, 20, 18. 3 Phil. ii. 7-

2 Ps. lxv. 16. 4 St. Luke, ii. 11, ]2.

9G CHRISTMAS.

wherewith the adoring Magi opened their treasures before
thee, and forgot all the fatigues of a long journey, entranced
with the sight of thee ; the love wherewith the venerable
Simeon took thee up in his arms, and felt that he must
needs die, now that he had seen Jesus ; the love, in fine, of
the Holy Angels, who, as thy Apostle tells us,1 adored thee
when born in Bethlehem, and found their heaven in looking
on that immortal beauty, made visible, in thy Infant Face,
even to the eyes of sinful men. Accept, 0 my divine Trea-
sure ! my sweetest Jesus ! accept my love, as thou didst all
these, and abide in me for ever.

ACT OF OBLATION.

But, it is not enough that I love thee, 0 Divine Infant !
— thou commandest me to give myself to thee. I was far
off, and yet thou earnest to me, that thou mightest make me
thine own possession ; and that I might never more leave
thee, thou hast taken up thy dwelling within my heart,
making it thy Bethlehem, O Bread of Life ! Thou wishest
that I should become a little child, after thine example ;
that I should leave, here at thy Crib, all my pride and dis-
obedience ; that my worldly wisdom should yield, at the
sight of thy Crib, to the spirit of Faith ; that the false
light, which has hitherto been my guide, should be dispelled
by the brightness which comes from the mystery of thy
Divine Body swathed in the bands of infancy. O Jesus !
thou King of Infants, as one of the Fathers has called thee,
I give myself to thee, that thou mayest teach me to become
a little child. Accept the promise I make thee, of perfect
docility to all thy teachings ; grant that it may be constant
and always prompted by love. I detest everything, in my
past life, which has been, either in thought or affection,
contrary to thy spirit. Henceforth, I will be all thine,
for thou hast drawn me, by these sacred Mysteries, into
holy nearness to thyself. I will imitate the Magi, who,
having adored thee, ivent hack another way into their coun-
try. May this holy infancy, which I have begun after thine
example, be to me the beginning of a new life, with no-
thing of my old one in it. Simeon having received thee
into his arms, wished to live no more for this earth ; and
shall I be satisfied with it, I who possess thee here within
me % No — henceforth, my life is to be the serving thee ;

1 Heb. i. 6.

AFTER COMMUNION. 96

that so I may deserve to be united with thee, for ever, in
heaven.

Mary, Mother of my Jesus ! pray for me, that this gra-
cious visit of thy divine Son may produce in me abun-
dant fruits of virtue. — Ye Holy Angels of God ! who adore
him now dwelling within me, be solicitous for the holiness
and purity of my soul and body. — All ye saints of God !
pray for me, that I may ever be faithful to Him, whom
ye loved on earth, and now love eternally in heaven. Amen.

CHAPTER VII.

OF THE OFFICE OF VESPEES FOR SUNDAYS AND

FEASTS ;

DURING CHRISTMAS.

The Office of Vespers, or Even-Song, during the
whole year, consists, firstly, of five Psalms and Anti-
phons, which vary, more or less, every day. As the
main object of our Book is the convenience of the
Faithful, we only give the Vespers of the Sundays
and the principal Feasts. With regard to the Sun-
days, therefore, during Christmas, which are neither
Feasts, nor within the Octave of a Feast, we give
them here in full, reserving only that, which is pecu-
liar to each, for the Proper. If it be a Feast, the
Office must be sought for on its own day.

After the Pater and Ave have been said in secret,
the Church commences this Hour with her favourite
supplication :

ft. Deus in adjutorium ft. Incline unto my aid, 0
meum intende. God.

1$. Domine, ad adjuvan- I£. 0 Lord, make haste to
dum me festina. help me.

Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Glory be to the Father, and
Spiritui Sancto : to the Son, and to the Holy

Ghost.

Sicut erat in principio et As it was in the beginning,
nunc et semper, et in ssecula is now, and ever shall be,
saeculomni. Amen. Alleluia, world without end. Amen.

Alleluia.

Ant. Dixit Dominus. Ant. The Lord said.

The first Psalm is a prophecy of the glory of the
Messias. This Child, who is now born to us in humi-
lity and poverty, is to be seated on the right hand of

SUNDAY S VESPEES.

99

the eternal Father. Now, that we are celebrating
his temporal Birth, it is most just that we should
often sing the Psalm which speaks of his eternal
Generation, as God, and of the future glory which
awaits him, as Man.

psalm 109.

The Lord said to my Lord,
his Son : Sit thou at my right
hand, and reign with me.

Until, on the day of thy last
coming, I make thy enemies
thy footstool.

0 Christ! the Lord thy
Father will send forth the
sceptre of thy power out of
Sion : from thence rule thou
in the midst of thy enemies.

With thee is the principality
in the day of thy strength, in
the brightness of the saints :
For the Father hath said to
thee : From the womb before
the day-star I begot thee.

The Lord hath sworn, and
he will not repent : he hath
said, speaking of thee, the God-
Man: Thou art a Priest for
ever, according to the order of
Melchisedech.

Therefore, 0 Father, the
Lord thy Son is at thy right
hand : he hath broken kings
in the day of his wrath.

He shall also judge among
nations : in that terrible com-
ing, he shall fill the ruins of
the world: he shall crush the
heads in the land of many.

He cometh now in humility ;
he shall drink, in the way, of
the torrent of sufferings: there-
fore, shall he lift up the head.

Ant. The Lord said to my

Dixit Dominus Domino
meo : * Sede a dextris meis.

Donee ponam inimicos
tuos : * scabellum pedum
tuorum.

Virgam virtutis tuse emit-
tet Dominus ex Sion : * do-
minare in medio inimicorum
tuorum.

Tecum principium in die
virtutis tuae in splendoribus
sanctorum : * ex utero ante
luciferum genui te.

Juravit Dominus, et non
poenitebit eum : * Tu es Sa-
cerdos in seternum secun-
dum ordinem Melchisedech.

Dominus a dextris tuis :*
confregit in die irse suae re-
ges.

Judicabit in nationibus,
implebit ruinas : * conquas-
sabit capita in terra multo-
rum.

De torrente in via bibet : *
propterea exaltabit caput.

Ant. Dixit Dominus Do-

100

CHRISTMAS.

mino meo, sede a dextris Lord, sit thou at my right
meis. hand.

Ant. Fidelia. Ant. Faithful

The following Psalm commemorates the mercies of
God to his people — the promised Covenant — the Re-
demption— his fidelity to his promises.

PSALM 110.

Confitehor tihi, Domine,
in toto corde meo : * in con-
cilio justorum et congrega-
tione.

Magna opera Domini : *
exquisita in omnes volunta-
tes ejus.

Confessio etmagnifieentia
opus ejus : * et justitia ejus
ma net in saeculum saeculi.

Memoriam fecit mirabi-
lium suorum, misericors et
miserator Dominus : * escam
dedit timentibus se.

Memor erit in saeculum
testament! sui : * virtutem
operum suorum annuntiabit
populo suo.

Ut det illis haereditatem
Gentium : * opera manuum
ejus Veritas et judicium.

Fidelia omnia mandata
ejus, confirmata in saeculum
saeculi : * facta in veritate et
aequitate.

Redemptionem misit po-
pulo suo : * mandavit
in aeternum testamentum
suum.

Sanctum et terribile no-

I will praise thee, 0 Lord,
with my whole heart : in the
counsel of the just, and in the
congregation.

Great are the works of the
Lord : sought out according
to all his wills.

His work is praise and mag-
nificence : and his justice con-
tinueth for ever and ever.

He hath made a remem-
brance of his wonderful works,
being a merciful and gracious
Lord : and being the bread of
life, he hath given food to
them that fear him.

He will be mindful for ever
of his covenant with men : he
is come and will shew forth to
his people the power of his
works.

That he may give them, his
Church, the inheritance of the
Gentiles : the works of his
hand are truth and judgment.

All his commandments are
faithful, confirmed for ever
and ever : made in truth and
equity.

He hath sent Redemption
to his people ; he hath, thereby,
commanded his covenant for
ever.

Holy and terrible is his

SUNDAY S VESPEES.

101

name : the fear of the Lord is
the beginning of wisdom.

A good understanding to all
that do it : his praise con-
tinued for ever and ever.

Ant. Faithful are all his
commandments ; confirmedfor
ever and ever.

Ant. In his command-
ments.

men ejus : * initium sapien-
tise timor Domini.

Intellectus bonus omnibus
facientibus eum : * laudatio
ejus manet in soeculum sae-
culi.

Ant. Fidelia omnia man-
data ejus ; confirmata in
sasculum sseculi.

Ant. In mandatis.

The next Psalm sings the happiness of the just
man, and his hopes on the day of Jesus' Birth. It
is applicable also to the sinner, who shall be con-
founded because he profited nothing by that great
Mystery of humility and love.

PSALM 111.

Blessed is the man that
feareth the Lord : he shall
delight exceedingly in his
commandments.

His seed shall be mighty
upon earth : the generation
of the righteous shall be
blessed.

Glory and wealth shall be
in his house : and his justice
remaineth for ever and ever.

To the righteous a light is
risen up in darkness : he is
merciful, and compassionate,
and just: he is born and dwells
amongst us.

Acceptable is the man that
showeth mercy and lendeth;
he shall order his words with
judgment : because he shall
not be moved for ever.

The just shall be in ever-
lasting remembrance : he shall
not fear the evil hearing.

His heart is ready to hope
in the Lord; his heart is

Beatus vir, qui timet Do-
minum : * in mandatis ejus
volet nimis.

Potens in terra erit semen
ejus : * generatio rectorum
benedicetur.

Gloria, et divitise in domo
ejus : * et justitia ejus manet
in saeculum saeculi.

Exortum est in tenebris
lumen rectis : * misericors,
et miserator, et Justus.

Jucundus homo, qui mise-
retur et commodat, disponet
sermones suos in judicio : *
quia in aeternum non com-
movebitur.

In memoria seterna erit
Justus : * ab auditione mala
non timebit.

Paratum cor ejus sperare
in Domino, confirmatum est

102

CHRISTMAS.

cor ejus : * non commovebi-
tur donee despiciat inimicos
suos.

Dispersit, dedit pauperi-
bus, justitia ejus manet in
saeculum saaculi : * cornu
ejus exaltabitur in gloria.

Peccator videbit, et irasce-
tur, dentibus suis fremet et
tabescet : * desiderium pec-
catorum peribit.

strengthened : he shall not
be moved until he look over
his enemies.

He hath distributed, he
hath given to the poor ; his
justice remaineth for ever
and ever : his horn shall be
exalted in glory.

The wicked shall see, and
shall be angry ; he shall gnash
with his teeth, and pine away :
the desire of the wicked shall
perish.

Ant. In his commandments
he delighteth exceedingly.

Ant. May the name of the
Lord.

The Psalm Laudate pueri, is a Canticle of praise
to the Lord, who, from his high heaven, has taken
pity on the fallen human race, and raised it up again
by the Incarnation.

PSALM 112.

ejus

Ant. In mandatis
cupit nimis.
Ant. Sit nomen Domini.

Laudate, pueri, Domi-
num : * laudate nomen Do-
mini.

Sit nomen Domini bene-
dictum : * ex hoc nunc et
usque in saeculum.

A sol is ortu usque ad oc-
casum : * laudabile nomen
Domini.

Excelsus super omnes
Gentes Dominus : * et super
coelos gloria ejus.

Quis sicut Dominus Deus
noster qui in altis habitat :*
et humilia respicit in coelo
et in terra 1

Suscitans a terra inopem:*
et de stercore erigens paupe-
rem.

Praise the Lord, ye chil-
dren : praise ye the name of
the Lord.

Blessed be the name of the
Lord : from henceforth now
and for ever.

From the rising of the sun
unto the going down of the
same, the name of the Lord
is worthy of praise.

The Lord is high above all
nations : and his glory above
the heavens.

Who is as the Lord our
God, who dwelleth on high :
and looketh down on the low
things in heaven and in earth,
nay who cometh down amidst
us?

Raising up the needy from
the earth : and lifting up the
poor out of the dunghill.

SUNDAY S VESPERS.

103

That lie may place him with
princes : with the princes of
his people.

Who maketh a barren wo-
man to dwell in a house, the
joyful mother of children.

Ant. May the name of the
Lord be for ever blessed.

Ant. We that live.

Ut collocet eumcum prin-
cipibus : * cum principibus
populi sui.

Qui habitare f acit sterilem
in domo : * matrem filiorum
lsetantem.

Ant. Sit nomen Domini
benedictum in ssecula.

Ant. Nos qui vivimus.

The fifth Psalm, In exitu, recounts the prodigies
witnessed under the ancient Covenant: they were
figures, whose realities begin their accomplishment
in the Birth of Jesus ; for, he comes that he may de-
liver Israel from Egypt, emancipate the Gentiles
from their idolatry, and pour out a blessing on every
man who will consent to fear and love the Lord.

psalm 113.

When Israel went out of
Egypt, the house of Jacob
from a barbarous people.

Judea was made his sanc-
tuary, Israel his dominion.

The sea saw and fled ; Jor-
dan was turned back.

The mountains skipped like
rams : and the hills like the
lambs of the flock.

What ailed thee, 0 thou sea,
that thou didst flee : and thou,
O Jordan, that thou wast
turned back 1

Ye mountains that ye
skipped like rams : and ye
hills like lambs of the flock 1

At the presence of the Lord
the earth was moved, at the
presence of the God of Jacob.

Who turned the rock into
pools of water, and the stony
hills into fountain of waters.

In exitu Israel de iEgyp-
to : * domus Jacob de po-
pulo barbaro.

Facta est Judaea sanctifi-
catio ejus : * Israel potestas
ejus.

Mare vidit, et fugit : * Jor-
danis conversus est retror-
sum.

Montes exsultaverunt ut
arietes : * et colles sicut
agni ovium.

Quid est tibi, mare, quod
fugisti : * et tu, Jordanis,
quia conversus es retror-
sum 1

Montes exsultastis sicut
arietes : * et colles sicut
agni ovium 1

A facie Domini mota est
terra : a facie Dei Jacob.

Qui convertit petram in
stagna aquarum : * et ru-
pem in fontes aquarum.

104

CHRISTMAS.

Non nobis, Domine, non
nobis : * sed nomini tuo da
gloriam.

Super misericordia tua, et
veritate tua : * nequando
dicant Gentes : Ubi est
Deus eorum.

Deus autem noster in
coalo : * omnia quaacumque
voluit, fecit.

Simulacra Gentium ar-
gentum et aurum : * opera
manuum hominum.

Os habent, et non loquen-
tur : * oculos habent, et non
videbunt.

Aures habent, et non au-
dient : * nares habent, et
non odorabunt.

Manas habent, et non pal-
pabunt, pedes habent, et non
ambulabunt : * non clama-
bunt in gutture suo.

Similes illis fiant qui fa-
ciunt ea : * et omnes qui
confidunt in eis.

Domus Israel speravit in
Domino : * adjutor eorum,
et protector eorum est.

Domus Aaron speravit in
Domino : * adjutor eorum,
et protector eorum est.

Qui timent Dominum,
speraverunt in Domino :

* adjutor eorum, et protec-
tor eorum est.

Dominus memor fuit nos-
tri : * et benedixit nobis.
Benedixit domui Israel :

* benedixit domui Aaron.

Benedixit omnibus qui ti-
ment Dominum : * pusillis
cum majoribus.

Adjiciat Dominus super
vos : * super vos, et super
filios vestros.

Not to us, O Lord, not to
us : but to thy name give

glory.

For thy mercy, and for thy
truth's sake : lest the Gentiles
should say : Where is their
God 1

But our God is in heaven :
he hath done all things what-
soever he would.

The idols of the Gentiles are
silver and gold : the works of
the hands of men.

They have mouths, and
speak not : they have eyes, and
see not.

They have ears, and hear
not : they have noses, and
smell not.

They have hands, and feel
not : they have feet, and walk
not : neither shall they cry out
through their throat.

Let them that make them
become like unto them : and
all such as trust in them.

The house of Israel hath
hoped in the Lord : he is their
helper and their protector.

The house of Aaron hath
hoped in the Lord : he is their
helper and their protector.

They that feared the Lord
have hoped in the Lord : he
is their helper and their pro-
tector.

The Lord hath been mindful
of us, and hath blessed us.

He hath blessed the house
of Israel : he hath blessed the
house of Aaron.

He hath blessed all that fear
the Lord, both little and great.

May the Lord add blessings
upoD you : upon you, and upon
your children.

SUNDAY'S VESPERS.

105

Blessed be you of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

The heaven of heaven is the
Lord's : but the earth he has
given to the children of men.

The dead shall not praise
thee, O Lord : nor any of them
that go down to hell.

But we that live bless the
Lord : from this time now and
for ever.

Ant.
Lord.

We that live bless the

Benedicti vos a Domino :
* qui fecit ccelum et terrain.

Ocelum cceli Domino : *
terram autem dedit filiis
hominum.

Non mortui laudabunt te,
Domine : * neque omnes
qui descendunt in inf ernum.

Sed nos qui vivimus, be-
nedicimus Domino : * ex
hoc nunc et usque in ssecu-
lum.

Ant. Nos qui vivimus,
benedicimus Domino.

After these five Psalms, a short Lesson from the
holy Scriptures is then read. It is called Capitulum,
because it is always very short. That for the several
Feasts, is given on the respective Days. The follow-
ing is said on the Sundays called After the Epi-
phany, as often as the Vespers are of the Sunday.

CAPITULUM.

H. Cor. i.

Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Father of mercies,
and the God of all consolation,
who comforteth us in all our
tribulations.

1$. Thanks be to God.

Benedictus Deus et Pater
Domini nostri Jesu Christi,
Pater misericordiarum et
Deus totius consolationis,
qui consolatur nos in omni
tribulatione nostra.

1$. Deo gratias.

Then follows the Hymn. We give the one of the
Sunday's Office. It was composed by St. Gregory
the Great, and celebrates Creation. It praises the
Light, which God drew out of nothing, on this the
first Day, and which is the beautiful image of our
Divine Infant, the Light of the world, the Orient
that has visited them who sat in the shadow of
death.

106

CHRISTMAS.

HYMN.*

Lucis Creator optime,
Lucem dierum prof erens ;
Primordiis lucis novas,
Mundi parans originem.

Qui mane junctum vesperi
Diem vocari praecipis,
Illabitur tetrum chaos,
Audi preces cum netibus.

Ne mens gravata crimine,
Vitae sit exul munere,
Dum nil perenne cogitat,
Seseque culpis illigat.

Coeleste pulset intimum,
Vitale tollat praemium :
Vitemus omne noxium,
Purgemus omne pessimum.

Praesta, Pater piissime,
Patrique compar Unice,
Cum Spiritu Paraclito
Regnans per omne saeculum.
Amen.

O infinitely good Creator of
the Light ! by thee was pro-
duced the Light of day, pro-
viding thus the world's begin-
ning with the beginning of the
new-made Light.

Thou biddest us call the
time from morn till eve, Day;
this day is over ; dark Night
comes on — oh ! hear our tear-
ful prayers.

Let not our soul, weighed
down by crime, mis-spend thy
gift of life, and, forgetting
what is eternal, be earth-tied
by her sins.

Oh ! may we strive to enter
our heavenly home, and bear
away the prize of life : may we
shun what would injure us,
and cleanse our soul from her
defilements.

Most merciful Father ! and
thou, his Only Begotten Son,
co-equal with him, reigning
for ever with the Holy Para-
clete ! grant this our prayer.
Amen.

According to the Monastic Rite, it is as follows : —

R\ breve. Quam magnificata
sunt, * Opera tua Domine.
Quam. V. Omnia in sapientia
fecisti. * Opera. Gloria Patri,
&c. Quam.

Lucis Creator optime,
Lucem dierum proferens ;
Primordiis lucis novae,
Mundi parans originem.

Qui mane junctum vesperi
Diem vocari prsecipis,
Tetrum chaos illabitur,
Audi preces cum fletibus.

Ne mens gravata crimine,
Vitse sit exul munere,
Dum nil perenne cogitat,
Seseque culpis illigat.

Ccelorum pulset intimum,
Vitale tollat praemium :
Vitemus omne noxium,
Purgemus omne pessimum.

Prsesta, Pater piissime,
Patrique compar Unice,
Cum Spiritu Paraclito
Regnans per omne speculum.

Amen.

SUNDAY'S VESPERS. 107

The Versicle which follows the Hymn, and which
we here give, is that of the Sunday : those for the
Feasts are given in their proper places.

$". May my prayer, 0 Lord, $". Dirigatur, Domine,
ascend, oratio mea,

1$. Like incense in thy sight. 1$. Sicut incensum in con-

spectu tuo.

Then is said the Magnificat Antiphon, which is
to be found in the Proper for the different Days.
After this, the Church sings the Canticle of Mary,
the Magnificat, in which are celebrated the Divine
Maternity and all its consequent blessings. This
exquisite Canticle is an essential part of the Vespers,
throughout the year ; but how sweetly appropriate is
it to the season of Christmas, during which, the
Church is overflowing with joy at the Birth of Jesus !
She turns to the Mother, and proclaims her Blessed.
Blessed, indeed ; for, the power of the Most High
overshadowed her; the Holy Ghost gave unto her,
for the salvation of the world, the Blessed Fruit of
her Womb.1

OTJK LADY'S CANTICLE.

(St. Luke, i.)

My soul doth magnify the Magnificat : * anima mea

Lord ; Dominum :

And my spirit hath rejoiced Et exsultavit spiritus

in God my Saviour. meus : * in Deo salutari meo.

Because he hath regarded Quiarespexithumilitatem

the humility of his handmaid : ancillse suae : * ecce enim ex

for, behold, from henceforth hoc Beatam me dicent om-

all generations shall call me nes generationes.
Blessed.

Because he that is mighty Quia fecit mihi magna qui

hath done great things to me : potens est : * et sanctum

and holy is his name. nomen ejus.

And his mercy is from gene- Et misericordia ejus a pro-

1 St. Luke, i. 35.

108

CHRISTMAS.

genie in progenies : * timen-
tibus eum.

Fecit potentiaminbrachio
suo : * dispersit superbos
mente cordis sui

Deposuitpotentesde sede:
* et exaltavit humiles.

Esurientes implevit bo-
nis : * et divites dimisit
inanes.

Suscepit Israel puenim
suum : * recordatus miseri-
cordiae suaa.

Sicut locutus est ad patres
nostros : * Abraham et se-
mini ejus in saacula.

ration unto generation, to them
that fear him.

He hath showed might in
his arm : he hath scattered the
proud in the conceit of their
heart.

He hath put down the
mighty from their seat : and
hath exalted the humble.

He hath filled the hungry
with good things : and the rich
he hath sent empty away.

He hath received Israel his
servant, being mindful of his
mercy.

As he spake to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his seed
for ever.

The Magnificat Antiphon is then repeated. The
Prayer, or Collect, will be found in the Proper of
each Sunday and Feast.

The Vespers end with the following Yersicles :

<v. Benedicamus Domino.

3$. Deo gratias.

"ff. Fidelium animae per
misericordiam Dei requies-
cant in pace.

]$. Amen.

y. Let us bless the Lord.

1$. Thanks be to God.

$". May the souls of the
Faithful departed, through the
mercy of God, rest in peace.

1$. Amen.

CHAPTER VIII.

ON THE OFFICE OF COMPLINE,

DURING CHRISTMAS.

This Office, which concludes the day, commences by
a warning of the dangers of the night : then imme-
diately follows the public Confession of our sins, as
a powerful means of propitiating the divine justice,
and obtaining God's help, now that we are going to
spend so many hours in the unconscious and there-
fore dangerous state of sleep, which is also such an
image of death.

The Lector, addressing the Priest, says to him :

Pray, Father, give thy bless- "ft. Jube, Domine, benedi-
ing. cere.

The Priest answers :

May the Almighty Lord Noctem quietam, et finem

grant us a quiet night and a perfectum concedat nobis

perfect end. Dominus omnipotens.

1$. Amen. 1$. Amen.

The Lector then reads these words, from the first
Epistle of St. Peter :

Brethren, be sober and Fratres : Sobrii estote, et

watch : for your adversary vigilate : quia adversarius

the devil goes about like a vester diabolus, tamquam

roaring lion, seeking whom he leo rugiens circuit quserens

may devour : resist him, being quern devoret : cui resistite

strong in faith. But thou, O fortes in fide. Tu autem,

Lord, have mercy on us. Domine, miserere nobis.

The Choir answers :
1$. Thanks be to God. 1$. Deo gratias.

110 CHRISTMAS.

Then, the Priest :

"ft. Adjutorium nostrum "ft. Our help is in the name
in nomine Domine. of the Lord.

The Choir :

T$. Qui fecit ccelum et ter- 1$. Who hath made heaven
ram. and earth.

Then the Lord's Prayer is recited in secret; after
which the Priest says the Gonfiteor ; and, when he
has finished, the Choir says :

Misereatur tui omnipo- May Almighty God be mer-

tens Deus, et dimissis pecca- ciful to thee, and, forgiving

tis tuis, perducat te ad vitam thy sins, bring thee to ever-

seternam. lasting life.

The Priest having answered Amen, the Choir re-
peats the Conftteor, thus :

Confiteor Deo Omnipo- I confess to Almighty God,

tenti, beatse Marise semper to Blessed Mary ever Virgin,

Virgini,beato Michael iArch- to blessed Michael the Arch-

angelo, beato Joanni Baptis- angel, to blessed John Baptist,

tse, Sanctis Apostolis Petro to the holy Apostles Peter and

et Paulo, omnibus Sanctis, et Paul, to all the saints, and to

tibi Pater: quia peccavi thee, Father, that I have sinned

nimis, cogitatione, verbo, et exceedingly in thought, word,

opere:mea culpa, mea culpa, and deed, through my fault,

mea maxima culpa. Ideo through my fault, through my

precor beatam Mariam sem- most grievous fault. There-

per Yirginem, beatum Mi- fore I beseech the Blessed

chaelem Archangelum, bea- Mary ever Virgin, blessed

turn Joannem Baptistam, Michael the Archangel, bless-

sanctos Apostolos Petrum ed John Baptist, the holy

et Paulum, omnes sanctos, Apostles Peter and Paul, and

et te, Pater, orare pro me ad all the saints, and thee, Father,

Dominum Deum nostrum. to pray to our Lord God for

me.

The Priest then says :

Misereatur vestri omni- May Almighty God be mer-
potens Deus, et dimissis ciful to you, and, forgiving

COMPLINE.

Ill

your sins, bring you to ever-
lasting life.

1$. Amen.

May the Almighty and mer-
ciful Lord grant us pardon, ab-
solution, and remission of our
sins.

1$. Amen.

ft. Convert us, 0 God, our
Saviour.

I£. And turn away thy
anger from us.

ft. Incline unto my aid, 0
God.

I£. O Lord, make haste to
help me.

Glory, &c.

Ant. Have mercy.

peccatis vestris, perducat
vos ad vitam aeternam.

I£. Amen.

Indulgentiam, absolutio-
nem, et remissionem pecca-
torum nostrorum, tribuat
nobis omnipotens et miseri-
cors Dominus.

I£. Amen.

ft. Converte nos, Deus,
Salutaris noster.

I£. Et averte iram tuam a
nobis.

ft. Deus, in adjutorium
meum intende.

I£. Domine, ad adjuvan-
dum me festina.

Gloria Patri, &c

Ant. Miserere.

The first Psalm expresses the confidence with
which the just man sleeps in peace; but the wicked
know not what calm rest is. It also speaks of the
eternal Word, the Light of the Father, who is come
to dispel our darkness.

psalm 4.

When I called upon him,
the God of my justice heard
me : when I was in distress,
thou hast enlarged me.

Have mercy on me : and hear
my prayer.

O ye sons of men, how long
will you be dull of heart 1 why
do you love vanity, and seek
after lying 1

Know ye also that the Lord
hath made his Holy One won-
derful : the Lord will hear me,
when I shall cry unto him.

Be ye angry, and sin not :
the things you say in your

Cum invocarem exaudivit
me Deus justitiae meae : *
in tribulatione dilatasti
mihi.

Miserere mei : * et exau-
di orationem meam.

Filii hominum, usquequo
gravi corde % * ut quid dili-
gitis vanitatem, et quaeritis
mendacium %

Et scitote quoniam miri-
ficavit Dominus sanctum
suum : * Dominus exaudiet
me, cum clamavero ad eum.

Irascimini, et nolite pec-
care : * quae dicitis in cordi-

112

CHRISTMAS.

bus vestris, in cubilibus ves-
tris compungimini. '

Sacrificate sacrificium jus-
titise, et sperate in Domino :

* multi dicunt : Quis osten-
dit nobis bona 1

Signatum est super nos
lumen vultus tui Domine :

* dedisti laetitiam in corde
meo.

A fructu frumenti, vini et
olei sui : * multiplicati sunt.

In pace in idipsum
dormiam et requiescam.

Quoniam tu, Domine, sin
gulariter in spe : * constitu
isti me.

*

hearts, be sorry for them upon
your beds.

Offer up the sacrifice of jus-
tice, and trust in the Lord :
many say, who showeth us
good things 1

The Light of thy counte-
nance, 0 Lord, is signed upon
us : thou hast given gladness
in my heart.

By the fruit of their corn,
their wine, and oil, they are
multiplied.

In peace, in the self same, I
will sleep, and I will rest.

For thou, O Lord, singularly
hast settled me in hope.

The Church has introduced here the first six
Verses of the thirtieth Psalm, because they contain
the prayer which our Saviour made when dying :
Into thy hands, 0 Lord, I commend my spirit !
words so beautifully appropriate in this Office of the
close of day.

psalm 30.

In te, Domine, speravi,
non confundar in seternum :
* in justitia tua libera me.

Inclina ad me aurem
tuam : * accelera ut eruas
me.

Esto mihi in Deum pro-
tectorem, et in domum re-
fugii : * ut salvum me fa-
cias.

Quoniam fortitudo mea,
et refugium meum es tu : *
et propter nomen tuum de-
duces me, et enutries me.

Educes me de laqueo hoc,
quern absconderunt mihi : *

In thee, O Lord, have I
hoped, let me never be con-
founded : deliver me in thy
justice.

Bow down thy ear to me :
make haste to deliver thee.

Be thou unto me a God, a
protector, and a house of re-
fuge, to save me.

For thou art my strength,
and my refuge : and for thy
name's sake thou wilt lead me,
and nourish me.

Thou wilt bring me out of
this snare, which they have

C03LPLINE.

113

hidden for me: for thou art

my protector.

Into thy hands I commend
my spirit : thou hast redeemed
me, O Lord, the God of truth.

quoniam tu es protector
meus.

In manus tuas commendo
spiritum meum : * rede-

misti me,
veritatis.

Domine, Deus

The third Psalm gives the motives of the just
man's confidence, even during the dangers of the
night. Then, we have God himself speaking, and
promising to show us our Saviour.

psalm 90.

He that dwelleth in the aid
of the Most High, shall abide
under the protection of the
God of Jacob.

He shall say to the Lord :
Thou art my protector, and my
refuge : my God, in him will
I trust.

For he hath delivered me
from the snare of the hunters :
and from the sharp word.

He will overshadow thee
with his shoulders : and under
his wings thou shalt trust.

His truth shall compass thee
with a shield : thou shalt not
be afraid of the terror of the
night.

Of the arrow that flieth in
the day : of the business that
walketh about in the dark : of
invasion, or of the noonday
devil.

A thousand shall fall at thy
side, and ten thousand at thy
right hand : but it shall not
come nigh thee.

But thou shalt consider
with thy eyes : and shalt see
the reward of the wicked.

Because thou hast said:

(2)

Qui habitat in adjutorio
Altissimi : * in protectione
Dei cceli conunorabitur.

Dicet Domino : Suscep-
tor meus es tu, et refugium
meum, * Deus meus, spe-
rabo in eum.

Quoniam ipse liberavit
me de laqueo venantium : *
et a verbo aspero.

Scapulis suis obumbrabit
tibi : * et sub pennis ejus
sperabis.

Scuto circumdabit te Ve-
ritas ejus : * non timebis a
timore nocturno.

A sagitta volante in die, a
negotio perambulante in te-
nebris : * ab incursu, et dae-
monio meridiano.

Cadent a latere tuo mille,
et dacem niillia a dextris
tuis : * ad te autem non
appropinquabit.

Verumtamen oculis tuis
considerabis : * et retribu-
tionem peccatorum videbis.

Quoniam tu es, Domine,

114

CHRISTMAS.

spes mea : * Altissimum po-
suisti refugium tuum.

Non accedet ad te malum :

* et flagellum non appropin-
quabit tabernaculo tuo.

Quoniam Angelis suis
mandavit de te : * ut custo-
diant te in omnibus viis tuis.

In manibus portabunt te :

* ne forte offendas ad lapi-
dem pedem tuum.

Super aspidem et basilis-
cum ambulabis : * et concul-
cabis leonem et draconem.

Quoniam in me speravit,
liberabo eum : * protegam
eum, quoniam cognovit no-
men meum.

Clanrabit ad me, et ego
exaudiam eum : * cum ipso
sum in tribulatione, eripiam
eum et glorificabo eum.

Longitudine dierum re-
plebo eum : * et ostendam
illi Salutare meum.

Thou, O Lord, art my hope :
Thou hast made the Most
High thy refuge.

There shall no evil come to
thee, nor shall the scourge
come near thy dwelling.

For he hath given his
Angels charge over thee : to
keep thee in all thy ways.

In their hands they shall
bear thee up : lest thou dash
thy foot against a stone.

Thou shalt walk upon the
asp and basilisk : and thou
shalt trample under foot the
lion and the dragon.

God will say of thee : Be-
cause he hoped in me, I will
deliver him : I will protect
him, because he hath known
my name.

He will cry to me, and I
will hear him : I am with him
in tribulation, I will deliver
him, and I will glorify him.

I will fill him with length
of days : and I will show him
my salvation.

The fourth Psalm invites the Servants of God to
persevere, with fervour, in the prayers they offer
during the Night The Faithful should say this
Psalm in a spirit of gratitude to God, for his raising
up, in the Church, adorers of his holy name, whose
grand vocation is to lift up their hands, day and
night, for the safety of Israel. On such prayers,
depend the happiness and destinies of the world.

psalm 133.

Ecce nunc benedicite Do-
minum : * omnes servi Do-
mini.

Qui statis in domo Domi-

Behold now bless ye the
Lord, all ye servants of the
Lord.

Who stand in the house of

COMPLINE.

115

the Lord, in the courts of the
house of our God.

In the nights lift up your
hands to the holy places, and
bless ye the Lord.

Say to Israel: May the
Lord out of Sion bless thee,
he that made heaven and
earth.

Ant. Have mercy on me, 0
Lord, and hear my prayer.

ni : * in atriis domus Dei
nostri.

In noctibus extollite ma-
nus vestras in saneta : * et
benedicite Dominum.

Benedicat te Dominus ex
Sion : * qui fecit coelum et
terram.

Ant. Miserere mei, Do-
mine, et exaudi orationem
meam.

HYMN.*

Before the closing of the
light, we beseech thee, Crea-
tor of all things ! that, in
thy clemency, thou be our
protector and our guard.

May the dreams and phan-
toms of night depart far from
us ; and do thou repress our
enemy, lest our bodies be
profaned.

Most merciful Father ! and
thou, his Only Begotten Son,
co-equal with him ! reigning
for ever with the Holy Para-
clete ! grant this our prayer.
Amen.

{Tliis last Stanza is varied for Christmas Day, &c, and for
the Epiphany. See page 118.)

CAPITULUM.

(Jeremias, xiv.)

Te lucis ante terminum,
Kerum Creator, poscimus,
Ut pro tua dementia
Sis praBsul et custodia.

Procul recedant somnia,
Et noctium phantasmata ;
Hostemque nostrum corn-
prime,
Ne polluantur corpora.

Praesta, Pater piissime,
Patrique compar Unice,
Cum Spiritu Paraclito
Regnans per omne sasculum.

Amen.

But thou art in us, O Lord,
and thy holy name has been

Tu autem in nobis es,
Domine, et nomen sanctum

* According to the Monastic Rite, as follows ;

Te lucis ante terminum, Hostemque nostrum comprime,

Rerum Creator, poscimus, Ne polluantur corpora.
Ut solita dementia Prsesta Pater omnipotens,

Sis prsesul ad custodiam. Per Jesum Christum Dominum,

Procul recedant somnia, Qui tecum in perpetuum

Et noctium phantasmata ■ Regnat cum Sancto Spiritu.

116

CHRISTMAS.

tiram invocatum est super
nos ; ne derelinquas nos,
Domine Deus noster.

I£. In maims tuas, Domi-
ne : * Commendo spiritum
meum. In manus tuas.

ft. Redemisti nos, Domi-
ne Deus veritatis. * Com-
mendo.

Gloria. In manus tuas.

$". Custodi nos, Domine,
ut pupillam oculi.

]J. Sub umbra alarum
tuarum protege nos.

invoked upon us : forsake us
not, O Lord our God.

3$. Into thy hands, O Lord :
* I commend my spirit. Into
thy hands.

^". Thou hast redeemed us,
O Lord God of truth. * I
commend.

Glory. Into thy hands.

$". Preserve us, O Lord, as
the apple of thine eye.

1$. Protect us under the
shadow of thy wings.

The Canticle of the venerable Simeon — who, whilst
holding the divine Infant in his arms, proclaimed
him to be the Light of the Gentiles, and then slept
the sleep of the just — harmonises admirably with
this closing Office of the day, at Christmastide ; for,
during this holy Season, the Church is for ever thank-
ing God, because he has dispelled the shades of death
by the rising of the Sun of Justice, in whose love
she labours all day long, and takes her rest at night,

saying

I sleep, and my heart watcheth.1

CANTICLE OF SIMEON.

{St. Luke, ii.)

servum

*

Nunc dimittis
tuum, Domine : "*■ secun-
dum verbum tuum in pace.

Quia viderunt oculi mei :
* Salutare tuum.

Quod parasti : * ante fa-
ciem omnium populorum.

Lumen ad revelationem
Gentium : * et gloriam ple-
bis tuse Israel.

Gloria Patri, et Filio, &c.

Ant. Salva nos, Domine,

Now dost thou dismiss thy
servant, 0 Lord, according to
thy word, in peace.

Because my eyes have seen
thy Salvation,

Which thou hast prepared
before the face of all peoples.

The Light to the revelation
of the Gentiles, and the glory
of thy people Israel.

Glory.

Ant. Save us, 0 Lord,

1 Cant. v. 2.

COMPLINE.

117

whilst awake, and watch us as
we sleep ; that we may watch
with Christ, and rest in peace.

"ff. The Lord be with you.
1$. And with thy spirit.

vigilantes : custodi nos dor-
mientes, ut vigilemus cum
Christo, et requiescamus in
pace.

$". Dominus vobiscum.

3$. Et cum spiritu tuo.

LET US PEAY.

Visit, we beseech thee, O
Lord, this house and family,
and drive from it all snares of
the enemy : let thy holy An-
gels dwell herein, who may
keep us in peace, and may thy
blessing be always upon us.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord,
thy Son, who liveth and reign-
eth with thee, in the unity of
the Holy Ghost, God, world
without end. Amen.

"ft. The Lord be with you.

I£. And with thy spirit.

"ft. Let us bless the Lord.

T$. Thanks be to God.

May the almighty and mer-
ciful Lord, Father, Son, and
Holy Ghost, bless and preserve

us.

I£. Amen.

OREMTTS.

Visita, quaesumus D onli-
ne, habitationem istam, et
omnes insidias inimici ab ea
longe repelle ; Angeli tui
sancti habitent in ea, qui
nos in pace custodiant : et
benedictio tua sit super nos
semper. Per Dominum nos-
trum Jesum Christum Fi-
lium tuuin, qui tecum vivit
et regnat in unitate Spiri-
tus Sancti Deus, per omnia
ssecula sasculorum. Amen.

p. Dominus vobiscum.

1$. Et cum spiritu tuo.

$". Benedicamus Domino.

I£. Deo gratias.

Benedicat et custodiat nos
omnipotens et misericors
Dominus, Pater, et Filius,
et Spiritus Sanctus.

1$. Amen.

ANTHEM TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN.

Sweet Mother of our Re-
deemer, Gate whereby we
enter heaven, and Star of the
sea, help us, we fall ; yet do
we long to rise. Nature looked
upon thee with admiration,
when thou didst give birth to
thy divine Creator, thyself re-
maining, before and after it, a
pure Virgin. Gabriel spoke
his Hail to thee ; we sinners
crave thy pity.

Alma Redemptoris mater,
quae pervia coeli

Porta manes, et stella maris,
succurre cadenti,

Surgere qui curat populo.
Tu quae genuisti,

Natura mirante, tuum sanc-
tum Genitorem.

Virgo prius ac posterius,
Gabrielis ab ore

Sumens illud Ave, peccato-
rum miserere.

118

CHRISTMAS.

ft. Post partum, Virgo,
inviolata permansisti.

1$. Dei Genitrix,
cede pro nobis.

"ft. After _ child-birth, thou
didst remain most pure, O
Virgin !

inter- 1$. O Mother of God ! make
intercession for us.

OEEMUS.

Deus qui salutis seternge
beatae Marise virginitate fe-
cunda humano generi prae-
mia praestitisti : tribue, quse-
sumus, ut ipsam pro nobis
intercedere sentiamus per
quam meruimus auctorem
vitae suscipere Dominum
nostrum Jesum Christum
Filium tuum.

I£. Amen.

<¥. Divinum auxilium
maneat semper nobiscum.

1$. Amen.*

LET US PKAY.

0 God, who, by the fruitful
Virginity of the Blessed Mary,
hast given to mankind the re-
wards of eternal salvation;
grant, we beseech thee, that
we may experience Her inter-
cession, by whom we received
the Author of life, our Lord
Jesus Christ, thy Son.

1$. Amen.

"ft. May the divine assis-
tance remain always with us.
I£. Amen.

Then in secret, Pater, Ave, and Credo, page 35.

THE LAST STANZA OF THE HYMN IS THUS VAEIED
From Christmas Day till the Epiphany.

Roman Breviary.

Jesu, tibi sit gloria,
Qui natus es de Virgine,
Cum Patre et almo Spiritu,
In sempiterna ssecula.

Amen.

Monastic Breviary.

Gloria tibi Domine,
Qui natus es de Virgine,
Cum Patre et Sancto Spiritu,
In sempiterna saecula.

Amen.

In the Monastic Rite, this Response is as follows

R. Et cum fratribus nostris
absentibus. Amen.

R. And with our absent Bre-
thren. Amen.

COMPLINE. 119

For the Epiphany, and during the Octave.

Roman Breviary. Monastic Breviary.

Jesu, tibi sit gloria, Gloria tibi Domine,

Qui apparuisti Gentibus, Qui apparuisti hodie,

Cum Patre et almo Spiritu, Cum Patre et Sancto Spiritu,

In sempiterna saecula. In sempiterna saecula.

Amen. Amen,

THE EPIPHANY

OF OUK LORD.

The Feast of the Epiphany is the continuation of
the mystery of Christmas ; but it appears on the
Calendar of the Church with its own special character.
Its very name, which signifies Manifestation, im-
plies that it celebrates the apparition of God to his
creatures.

For several centuries, the Nativity of our Lord was
kept on this day ; and when, in the year 376, the
decrees of the Holy See obliged all Churches to keep
the Nativity on the 25th December, as Rome did —
the Sixth of January was not robbed of all its ancient
glory. It was still to be called the Epiphany, and
the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ was also com-
memorated on this same Feast, which Tradition had
marked as the day on which that Baptism took place.

The Greek Church gives this Feast the venerable
and mysterious name of Theophania, which is of such
frequent recurrence in the early Fathers, as signifying
a divine Apparition. We find this name applied to
this Feast by Eusebius, St. Gregory Nazianzum, and
St. Isidore of Pelusium. In the liturgical books of the
Melchite Church the Feast goes under no other name.

The Orientals call this solemnity also the holy
Lights, on account of its being the day on which
Baptism was administered, (for, as we have just men-
tioned, our Lord was baptised on this same day.)
Baptism is called by the holy Fathers Illumination,
and they who received it Illuminated.

122 CHRISTMAS.

Lastly, this Feast is called, in many countries,
King's Feast : it is, of course, an allusion to the Magi,
whose journey to Bethlehem is so continually men-
tioned in to-day's Office.

The Epiphany shares with the Feasts of Christmas,
Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost, the honour of being
called, in the Canon of the Mass, a Day most holy.
It is also one of the cardinal Feasts, that is, one of
those on which the arrangement of the Christian
Year is based ; for, as we have Sundays after Easter,
and Sundays after Pentecost, so also we count six
Sundays after the Epiphany.

The Epiphany is indeed a great Feast, and the
joy caused us by the Birth of our Jesus must be re-
newed on it, for, as though it were a second Christmas
Day, it shows us our Incarnate God in a new light.
It leaves us all the sweetness of the dear Babe of
Bethlehem, who hath appeared to us already in love ;
but to this it adds its own grand manifestation of
the divinity of our Jesus. At Christmas, it was a few
Shepherds that were invited by the Angels to go and
recognise the Woed made Flesh ; but now, at the
Epiphany, the voice of God himself calls the whole
world to adore this Jesus, and hear him.

The mystery of the Epiphany brings upon us
three magnificent rays of the Sun of Justice, our
Saviour. In the calendar of pagan Rome, this sixth
day of January was devoted to the celebration of a
triple triumph of Augustus, the founder of the Roman
Empire : but when Jesus, our Prince of peace, whose
empire knows no limits, had secured victory to his
Church by the blood of the Martyrs — then did this
his Church decree, that a triple triumph of the Im-
mortal King should be substituted, in the Christian
Calendar, for those other three triumphs which had
been won by the adopted son of Cassar.

The Sixth of January, therefore, restored the cele-
bration of our Lord's Birth to the Twenty-Fifth of

THE EPIPHANY. 123

December ; but, in return, there were united in the
one same JEpiphany, three manifestations of Jesus'
glory : the mystery of the Magi coming from the
East, under the guidance of a star, and adoring the
Infant of Bethlehem as the divine King ; the mystery
of the Baptism of Christ, who, whilst standing in the
waters of the Jordan, was proclaimed by the Eternal
Father as Son of God ; and thirdly, the mystery of
the divine power of this same Jesus, when he changed
the water into wine at the marriage-feast of Cana.

But, did these three Mysteries really take place on
this day ? Is the Sixth of January the real anniver-
sary of these great events ? As the chief object of
this work is to assist the devotion of the Faithful, we
purposely avoid everything which would savour of
critical discussion ; and with regard to the present
question, we think it enough to state, that Baronius,
Suarez, Theophilus Raynaldus, Honorius De Sancta-
Maria, Cardinal Gotti, Sandini, Benedict 14th, and an
almost endless list of other writers, assert that the
Adoration of the Magi happened on this very day.
That the Baptism of our Lord, also, happened on the
sixth of January, is admitted by the severest historical
critics, even by Tillemont himself; and has been
denied by only two or three. The precise day of the
miracle at the marriage-feast of Cana is far from
being as certain as the other two mysteries, though
it is impossible to prove that the sixth of January was
not the day. For us the children of the Church, it
is sufficient that our Holy Mother has assigned the
commemoration of these three manifestations for
this Feast ; we need nothing more to make us rejoice
in the triple triumph of the Son of Mary.

If we now come to consider these three mysteries
of our Feast separately, we shall find, that the Church
of Borne, in her Office and Mass of to-day, is more
intent on the Adoration of the Magi than on the
other two. The two great Doctors of the Apostolic

124 CHRISTMAS.

See, St. Leo and St. Gregory, in their Homilies for
this Feast, take it as the almost exclusive object of
their preaching ; though, together with St. Augustine,
St. Paulinus of Nola, St. Maximus of Turin, St. Peter
Chrysologus, St. Hilary of Aries, and St. Isodore of
Seville, they acknowledge the three mysteries of to-
day's Solemnity. That the mystery of the Vocation
of the Gentiles should be made thus prominent by
the Church of Rome, is not to be wondered at ; for,
by that heavenly vocation which, in the three Magi,
called all nations to the admirable light of Faith,
Rome, which till then had been the head of the Gen-
tile world, was made the head of the Christian Church
and of the whole human race.

The Greek Church makes no special mention, in
her Office of to-day, of the Adoration of the Magi, for
she unites it with the mystery of our Saviour's Birth
in her celebration of Christmas Day. The Baptism
of Christ absorbs all her thoughts and praises on the
solemnity of the Epiphany.

In the Latin Church, this second mystery of our
Feast is celebrated, unitedly with the other two, on
the sixth of January, and mention is made of it seve-
ral times in the Office. But, as the coming of the
Magi to the crib of our new-born King absorbs the
attention of Christian Rome on this day, the mystery
of the sanctification of the waters was to be comme-
morated on a day apart. The day chosen by the West-
ern Church for paying special honour to the Baptism
of our Saviour is the Octave of the Epiphany.

The third mystery of the Epiphany being also
somewhat kept in the shade by the prominence
given to the first, (though allusion is several times
made to it in the Office of the Feast,) a special day
has been appointed for its due celebration ; and that
day is the second Sunday after the Epiphany.

Several Churches have appended to the Mystery of
changing the water into wine that of the multiplica-

THE EPIPHANY. 125

tion of the loaves, which certainly bears some analogy
with it, and was a manifestation of our Saviour's
divine power. But, whilst tolerating the custom in
the Ambrosian and Mozarabic rites, the Roman
Church has never adopted it, in order not to inter-
fere with the sacredness of the triple triumph of our
Lord, which the sixth of January was intended to
commemorate ; as also, because St. John tells us, in
his Gospel, that the miracle of the multiplication of
the Loaves happened when the Feast of the Pasch
was at hand,1 which, therefore, could not have any
connection with the season of the year when the
Epiphany is kept.

We propose to treat of the three mysteries, united
in this great Solemnity, in the following order. To-
day, we will unite with the Church in honouring
all three; during the Octave, we will contemplate
the Mystery of the Magi coming to Bethlehem ; we
will celebrate the Baptism of our Saviour on the
Octave Day ; and we will venerate the Mystery of
the Marriage of Cana on the Second Sunday after the
Epiphany, which is the day appropriately chosen by
the Church for the Feast of the Most Holy Name of
Jesus.

Let us, then, open our hearts to the joy of this
grand Day ; and on this Feast of the Theophany, of
the Holy Lights, of the Three Kings, let us look
with love at the dazzling beauty of our Divine Sun,
who, as the Psalmist expresses it,2 runs his course as
a Giant, and pours out upon us floods of a welcome
and yet most vivid light. The Shepherds, who were
called by the Angels to be the first worshippers,
have been joined by the Prince of Martyrs, the
Beloved Disciple, the dear troop of Innocents, our
glorious Thomas of Canterbury, and Sylvester the
Patriarch of Peace ; and now, to-day, these Saints

1 St. John, vi. 4. 2 Ps. xviii. 6.

126 CHRISTMAS.

open their ranks to let the Kings of the East come to
the Babe in his crib, bearing with them the prayers
and adorations of the whole human race. The hum-
ble Stable is too little for such a gathering as this,
and Bethlehem seems to be worth all the world
besides. Mary, the Throne of the divine Wisdom,
welcomes all the members of this court with her
gracious smile of Mother and Queen ; she offers her
Son to man, for his adoration, and to God, that he
may be well pleased. God "manifests himself to men,
because he is great; but he 'manifests himself by
Mary, because he is full of mercy.

The great Day, which now brings us to the crib of
our Prince of Peace, has been marked by two great
events of the first ages of the Church. It was on the
sixth of January, in the year 361, and Julian, (who,
in heart, was already an apostate,) happened to be at
Vienne, in Gaul. He was soon to ascend the impe-
rial throne, which would be left vacant by the death
of Constantius, and he felt the need he had of the
support of that Christian Church, in which it is said
he had received the order of Lector, and which,
nevertheless, he was preparing to attack with all the
cunning and cruelty of a tiger. Like Herod, he, too,
would fain go, on this Feast of the Epiphany, and
adore the new-born King. His panegyrist Ammianus
Marcellinus tells us, that this crowned Philosopher,
who had been seen, just before, coming out of the
pagan temple, where he had been consulting the
soothsayers, made his way through the porticoes of
the Church, and, standing in the midst of the faithful
people, offered to the God of the Christians his sacri-
legious homage.

Eleven years later, in the year 372, another Em-
peror found his way into the Church, on the same
Feast of the Epiphany. It was Valens ; a Christian,
like Julian, by baptism ; but a persecutor, in the name
of Arianism, of that same Church which Julian per-

THE EPIPHANY. 127

secuted in the name of his vain philosophy and still
vainer gods. As Julian felt himself necessitated by
motives of worldly policy to bow down, on this day,
before the divinity of the Galilean; so, on this same
day, the holy courage of a saintly Bishop made
Valens prostrate himself at the feet of Jesus the King
of kings.

Saint Basil had just then had his famous interview
with the Prefect Modestus, in which his episcopal
intrepidity had defeated all the might of earthly
power. Valens had come to Csesarea, and, with his
soul denied with the Arian heresy, he entered the
Basilica, when the Bishop was celebrating, with his
people, the glorious Theojphany. Let us listen to St.
Gregory Nazianzum, thus describing the scene with
his usual eloquence. "The Emperor entered the
" Church. The chanting of the psalms echoed through
" the holy place like the rumbling of thunder. The
" people, like a waving sea, filled the house of God.
"Such was the order and pomp in and about the
" sanctuary, that it looked more like heaven than
" earth. Basil himself stood erect before the people,
" as the Scripture describes Samuel — his body, and
" eyes, and soul, motionless as though nothing strange
" had taken place, and, if I may say so, his whole
" being was fastened to his God and the holy Altar.
" The sacred ministers, who surrounded the Pontiff,
" were in deep recollectedness and reverence. The
"Emperor heard and saw all this. He had never
" before witnessed a spectacle so imposing. He was
" overpowered. His head grew dizzy, and darkness
" veiled his eyes."

Jesus, the King of ages, the Son of God and the
Son of Mary, had conquered. Valens was disarmed ;
his resolution of using violence against the holy
Bishop was gone ; and if heresy kept him from at
once adoring the Word consubstantial to the Father,
he, at least, united his exterior worship with that

128 CHRISTMAS.

which Basil's flock was paying to the Incarnate God.
When the Offertory came, he advanced towards the
Sanctuary, and presented his gifts to Christ in the
person of his holy Priest. The fear lest Basil might
refuse to accept them took such possession of the
Emperor, that had not the sacred ministers supported
him, he would have fallen at the foot of the Altar.

Thus has the Kingship of our new-born Saviour
been acknowledged by the great ones of this world.
The Royal Psalmist had sung this prophecy — the
Kings of the earth shall serve him, and his enemies
shall lick the ground under his feet.1

The race of Emperors like Julian and Valens was
to be followed by Monarchs, who would bend their
knee before this Babe of Bethlehem, and offer him
the homage of orthodox faith and devoted hearts.
Theodosius, Charlemagne, our own Alfred the Great
and Edward the Confessor, Stephen of Hungary, the
Emperor Henry 2nd, Ferdinand of Castile, Louis 9th
of France, are examples of Kings who had a special
devotion to the Feast of the Epiphany. Their am-
bition was to go, in company with the Magi, to the
feet of the Divine Infant, and offer him their gifts.
At the English Court, the custom is still retained,
and the reigning Sovereign offers an ingot of Gold as
a tribute of homage to Jesus the King of kings : the
ingot is afterwards redeemed by a certain sum of
money.

But this custom of imitating the Three Kings in
their mystic gifts was not confined to Courts. In
the Middle-Ages, the Faithful used to present, on the
Epiphany, gold, frankincense, and myrrh, to be
blessed by the Priest. These tokens of their devoted-
ness to Jesus were kept as pledges of God's blessing
upon their houses and families. The practice is still
observed in some parts of Germany : and the prayer

1 Ps. had. 9, 11.

THE EPIPHANY. 129

for the Blessing was in the Roman Ritual, until Pope
Paul 5th suppressed it, together with several others,
as being seldom required by the Faithful.

There was another custom, which originated in the
Ages of Faith, and which is still observed in many
countries. In honour of the Three Kings, who came
from the East to adore the Babe of Bethlehem, each
family chose one of its members to be King. The
choice was thus made. The family kept a feast,
which was an allusion to the third of the Epiphany-
Mysteries — the Feast of Cana in Galilee — a Cake was
served up, and he who took the piece which had a
certain secret mark, was proclaimed the King of the
day. Two portions of the Cake were reserved for the
poor, in whom honour was thus paid to the Infant
Jesus and his Blessed Mother ; for, on this Day of the
triumph of Him, who, though King, was humble and
poor, it was fitting that the poor should have a share
in the general joy. The happiness of home was here,
as in so many other instances, blended with the
sacredness of Religion. This custom of King's Feast
brought relations and friends together, and encou-
raged feelings of kindness and charity. Human
weakness would sometimes, perhaps, show itself dur-
ing these hours of holiday-making ; but the idea and
sentiment and spirit of the whole feast was pro-
foundly Catholic, and that was sufficient guarantee
to innocence.

Kings Feast is still a Christmas joy in thousands
of families ; and happy those where it is kept in the
Christian spirit which first originated it ! For the
last three hundred years, a puritanical zeal has decried
these simple customs, wherein the seriousness of
religion and the home enjoyments of certain Festivals
were blended together. The traditions of Christian
family rejoicings have been blamed under pretexts of
abuse ; as though a recreation, in which religion had
no share and no influence, were less open to intem-
(2) K

130 CHRISTMAS.

perance and sin ! Others have pretended, (though
with little or no foundation,) that the Twelfth Cake
and the custom of choosing a King, are mere imita-
tions of the ancient pagan Saturnalia. Granting
this to be correct, (which it is not,) we would answer,
that many of the old pagan customs have undergone
a Christian transformation, and no one thinks of
refusing to accept them thus purified. All this
mistaken zeal has produced the sad effect of divorcing
the Church from family life and customs, of excluding
every religious manifestation from our traditions,
and of bringing about what is so pompously called,
(though the word is expressive enough,) the seculari-
sation of society.

But let us return to the triumph of our sweet
Saviour and King. His magnificence is manifested
to us so brightly on this Feast! Our mother, the
Church, is going to initiate us into the mysteries we
are to celebrate. Let us imitate the faith and
obedience of the Magi : let us adore, with the holy
Baptist, the divine Lamb, over whom the heavens
open : let us take our place at the mystic feast of
Cana, where our dear King is present, thrice mani-
fested, thrice glorified. In the last two mysteries, let
us not lose sight of the Babe of Bethlehem ; and in
the Babe of Bethlehem let us cease not to recognise
the Great God, (in whom the Father was well-pleased,)
and the supreme Ruler and Creator of all things.

The Church begins the Solemnity of the Epiphany
by singing First Vespers.

FIRST YESPERS OF THE EPIPHANY.

1. Ant. Ante luciferum 1. Ant. The Lord our

genitus et ante ssecula, Do- Saviour, begotten before the

minus Salvator noster hodie day-star and all ages, appeared

mundo apparuit. to the world on this day.

THE EPIPHANY.
Psalm : Dixit Dominus, page 99.

131

2. Ant. Thy light is come,
O Jerusalem, and the glory of
the Lord is risen upon thee ;
and the Gentiles shall walk in
thy light. Alleluia.

2. Ant. Venit lumen tu-
um, Jerusalem, et gloria
Domini super te orta est :
et ambulabunt Gentes in
lumine tuo. Alleluia.

Psalm : Confitebor tibi, page 100.

3. Ant. Opening their trea-
sures, the Magi offered to the
Lord gold, frankincense, and
myrrh. Alleluia.

3. Ant. Apertis thesau-
ris suis, obtulerunt Magi
Domino aurum, thus, et
myrrham. Alleluia.

Psalm : Beatus vir, page 101.

4. Ant. Ye seas, and rivers, 4. Ant. Maria et flumi-
bless the Lord : ye fountains, na, benedicite Domino :
sing a hymn to the Lord, hymnum dicite, fontes, Do-
Alleluia, mino. Alleluia.

Psalm : Laudate pueri, page 102.

5. Ant. This star shineth
as a flame, and pointeth out
God, the King of kings : the
Magi saw it, and offered gifts
to the great King.

5. Ant. Stella ista sicut
flamma coruscat, et Regem
regum Deum demonstrat :
Magi earn viderunt, et mag-
no Regi munera obtulerunt.

132 CHRISTMAS.

PSALM 116.

Laudate Dominum omnes O praise the Lord, all ye

gentes : * laudate eum om- nations : praise him, all ye

nes popnli. people.

Quoniam confirmata est For his mercy is confirmed

super nos misericordia ejus : upon us : and the truth of the

*et Veritas Domini manet in Lord remaineth for ever,
seternum.

The holy Church — after having thus celebrated
the power given to the Divine Babe over kings,
whom he shall break, in the day of his wrath ; his
covenant with the Gentiles, whom he will give as an
inheritance to his Church ; the light that is risen
up in darkness ; his Name blessed from the rising
to the setting of the sun ; and after having, on this
the day of the Vocation of the Gentiles, invited all
nations, and all people, to praise the eternal mercy
and truth of God ; — addresses herself to Jerusalem,
the figure of the Church, and conjures her, by the
Prophet Isaias, to take advantage of the Light, which
has this day risen upon the whole human race.

CAPITULTJM.

(Is. LX.)

Surge, illuminare, Jeru- Arise, be enlightened, O Je-

salem, quia venit lumen tu- rusalem, for thy light is come,

um, et gloria Domini super and the glory of the Lord is

te orta est. risen upon thee.

Then follows the Hymn. It is the beautiful one
composed by Sedulius, of which we sang the opening
stanzas in the Lauds of Christinas Day. In the
verses selected for the present Feast, the Church
celebrates the three Epiphanies : Bethlehem, the
Jordan, and Cana, each, in its turn, manifested the
glory of Jesus, our great King.

THE EPIPHANY.

133

HYMN.*

Cruel tyrant Herod ! why
tremblest thou at the coming
of the King, our God? He
that gives men a heavenly
kingdom, takes not from kings
their earthly ones.

On went the Magi, follow-
ing the Star that went before
them, and which they had
seen in the East. They
seek by this light Him that
is the Light, and, by their
gifts, acknowledge him to be
God.

The heavenly Lamb touched
the pure stream, wherein he
deigned to be baptised : it is
we whom he hereby washes
from our sins, for he could
have none to be cleansed.

At Cana, he showed a new
sort of power : the water in
the vases at the feast turns
red ; and, when ordered to
be poured out, lo! it had
changed its nature, and was
wine.

Glory be to thee, O Jesus,
that manifestest thyself to the

Crudelis Herodes, Deum
Regem venire quid times 1
Non eripit mortalia,
Qui regna dat ccelestia.

Ibant Magi, quam vide-
rant
Stellam sequentes prseviam ;
Lumen requirunt lumine ;
Deum fatentur munere.

Lavacra puri gurgitis
Ccelestis Agnus attigit :
Peccata quae non detulit,
Nos abluendo sustulit.

Novum genus potentiae
Aquae rubescunt hydriae,
Vinumque jussa f undere,
Mutavit unda originem.

Jesu, tibi sit gloria,
Qui te revelas Gentibus,

In the Monastic Rite it is as follows :

R. breve. Omnes de Saba ve-
nient : * Alleluia, alleluia. Om-
nes. V. Aurum et thus defe-
rentes. * Alleluia. Gloria Pa-
tri. Omnes.

Hostis Herodes impie,
Christum venire quid times ?
Non eripit mortalia,
Qui regna dat ccelestia.

Ibant Magi quam viderant,
Stellam sequentes prseviam ;
Lumen requirunt lumine,
Deum fatentur munere.

Lavacra puri gurgitis
Ccelestis Agnus attigit :
Peccata quae non detulit,
Nos abluendo sustulit.

Novum genus potentiae :
Aquae rubescunt hydriae,
Vinumque jussa f undere,
Mutavit unda originem.

Gloria tibi Domine,
Qui apparuisti hodie,
Cum Patre et Sancto Spiritu,
In sempiterna saecula.

Amen.

134

CHRISTMAS.

Cum Patre, et almo Spi-

ritu.
In sempiterna sascula.

Amen.
p. Eeges Tharsis, et in-
sulse mnnera offerent.

1$. Eeges Arabum, et Sa-
ba dona adducent.

Gentiles : and to the Father,
and to the Spirit of love, for
everlasting ages. Amen.

"ft. The kings of Tharsis, and
the islands, shall offer pre-
sents.

I£. The kings of the Ara-
bians and of Saba shall bring
gifts.

antiphon" of the Magnificat.

Magi videntes stellam,
dixerunt ad invicem : Hoc
signum magni Regis est :
eamus et inquiramus eum,
et offeramus ei munera,
aurum, thus et myrrham.
Alleluia.

The Magi, seeing the Star,
said to each other : This is
the sign of the great King :
let us go and seek him, and
offer him gifts, gold, frankin-
cense, and myrrh. Alleluia.

Tlie Canticle Magnificat, page 107.

COLLECT.

Deus, qui hodierna die
Unigenitum tuum Genti-
bus, stella duce, revelasti :
concede propitius, ut qui
jam te ex tide cognovimus,
usque ad contemplandam
speciem tuse celsitudinis
perducamur. Per eum-
dem.

0 God, who by the direc-
tion of a star didst this day
manifest thy only Son to the
Gentiles ; mercifully grant,
that we, who now know thee
by faith, may come at length
to see the glory of thy Ma-
jesty. Through the same, <kc.

The Church has thus opened her chants in honour
of the divine Tlieoyjhany . To-morrow, the offering
of the great Sacrifice will unite us all in the prayers
we present to our King and Saviour. Let us finish
this day in recollection and joy.

The Matins for the Epiphany are exceedingly rich
and magnificent ; but, as the Faithful do not assist
at them, we will not give them. At Milan, they are
sung during the Night, like the Christmas Matins,
and are also composed of three Nocturns — contrary

THE EPIPHANY. 135

to the custom of the Ambrosian Liturgy, which has
only one Nocturn at Matins. The people assist at
them, and, altogether, these holy Vigils are kept up
with almost as much devotion as those of Christmas
Night.

136 CHRTSTMAS.

JANUARY THE SIXTH.

The day of the Magi, the day of the Baptism, the
day of the Marriage Feast, has come : our divine
Sun of Justice reflects upon the world these three
bright rays of his glory. Material darkness is less
than it was ; Night is losing her power ; Light is
progressing day by day. Our sweet Infant Jesus,
who is still lying in his humble crib, is each day
gaining strength. Mary showed him to the Shep-
herds, and now she is going to present him to the
Magi. The gifts we intend to offer him should be
prepared : let us, like the three Wise Men, follow the
star, and go to Bethlehem, the House of the Bread of
Life.

MASS.

At Rome, the Station is at St. Peter's, on the
Vatican, near the tomb of the Prince of the Apostles,
to whom, in Christ, all nations have been given as
an inheritance.

The Church proclaims, in the opening chant
of the Mass, the arrival of the great King, for whom
the whole earth was in expectation, and at whose
Birth the Magi are come to Jerusalem, there to con-
sult the prophecies.

INTEOIT.

Ecce advenit Dominator Behold the Lord the Ruler

Dominus : et regnum in is come : and dominion, and

manu ejus, et potestas et power, and empire, are in his

imperium. hand.

THE EPIPHANY.

137

Ps. Give to the King thy Ps. Dens, judicium tuum

judgment, 0 God, and to the Regi da : et justitiam tuam

King's Son thy justice. Glory. Filio Regis. Gloria Patri.

Behold. Ecce advenit.

After the Angelic Hymn, Gloria in excelsis, the
holy Church, all in gladness at the bright Star which
leads the Gentiles to the crib of the Divine King,
prays, in the Collect, that she may be permitted to
see that living Light, for which faith prepares us,
and which will enlighten us for all eternity.

COLLECT.

O God, who by the direc-
tion of a star, didst this day
manifest thy only Son to the
Gentiles : mercifully grant,
that we, who now know thee
by faith, may come at length
to see the glory of thy Ma-
jesty. Through the same, &c.

Deus, qui hodierna die
Unigenitum tuum Gentibus,
stella duce, revelasti : con-
cede propitius, ut qui jam
te ex fide cognovimus, usque
ad contemplandam speciem
tuse celsitudinis perduca-
mur. Per eumdem.

EPISTLE.

Lesson from the Prophet

Isaias.

Ch. LX.

Arise, be enlightened, O
Jerusalem : for thy light is
come, and the glory of the
Lord is risen upon thee. For
behold darkness shall cover
the earth, and a mist the
people ; but the Lord shall
arise upon thee, and his glory
shall be seen upon thee. And
the Gentiles shall walk in thy
light, and Kings in the bright-
ness of thy rising. Lift up
thine eyes round about, and
see : all these are gathered
together, they are come to
thee : thy sons shall come
from afar, and thy daughters

Lectio Isaiae Prophetas.

Cap. LX.
Surge, i]luminare, Jeru-
salem : quia venit lumen
tuum, et gloria Domini su-
per te orta est. Quia ecce
tenebrse operient terram, et
caligo populos ; super te au-
tem orietur Dominus, et
gloria ejus in te videbitur.
Et ambulabunt Gentesin lu-
mine tuo, et Reges in splen-
dore ortus tui. Leva in cir-
cuitu oculos tuos, et vide :
omnes isti congregati sunt,
venerunt tibi : filii tui de
longe venient, et filiae tuse
de latere surgent. Tunc vi-
debis et afnues, et mirabi-

138 CHKISTMAS.

tur et dilatabitur cor tuum, shall rise up at thy side. Then
quando conversa fuerit ad shalt thou see and abound,
te multitudo maris, forti- and thy heart shall wonder,
tudo Gentium venerit tibi. and be enlarged, when the
Inundatio camelorum ope- multitude of the sea shall be
riet te, dromedarii Madian converted to thee, the strength
et Epha : omnes de Saba of the Gentiles shall come to
venient, aurum et thus de- thee. The multitude of camels
ferentes, et laudem Domino shall cover thee, the drome-
annuntiantes. daries of Madian and Epha:

all they from Saba shall come,
bringing gold and frankin-
cense, and showing forth praise
to the Lord.

Oh ! the greatness of this glorious Day, on which
begins the movement of all nations towards the
Church, the true Jerusalem ! Oh ! the mercy of
our heavenly Father, who has been mindful of all
these people, that were buried in the shades of death
and sin ! Behold ! the glory of the Lord has risen
upon the Holy City ; and Kings set out to find and
see the Light. Jerusalem is not large enough to
hold all this sea of nations ; another city must be
founded, and towards her shall be turned the count-
less Gentiles of Madian and Epha. Thou, 0 Rome !
art this Holy City, and thy heart shall wonder
and be enlarged. Heretofore, thy victories have
won thee slaves ; but, from this day forward, thou
shalt draw within thy walls countless Children.
Lift up thine eyes, and see — all these, that is, the
whole human race, give themselves to thee as thy
sons and daughters ; they come to receive from thee
a new birth. Open wide thine arms, and embrace
them that come from North and South, bringing gold
and frankincense to Him, who is thy King and ours.

GRADUAL.

Omnes de Saba, venient, All shall come from Saba,

aurum et thus deferentes, bringing gold and frankin-

et laudem Domino annun- cense, and publishing the

tiantes. praises of the Lord.

THE EPIPHANY.

139

y. Arise, be enlightened, 0
Jerusalem, for the glory of the
Lord is risen upon thee.

Alleluia, alleluia.

"ft. We saw his star in the
east, and are come, with our
offerings, to adore the Lord.
Alleluia.

ft. Surge et illuminare,
Jerusalem, quia gloria Do-
mini super te orta est.

Alleluia, alleluia.

$\ Vidimus stellam ejus
in Oriente : et venimus cum
muneribus adorare Domi-
num. Alleluia.

GOSPEL.

Sequel of the holy Gospel
according to Matthew.
Cap. II.

When Jesus was born in
Bethlehem of Juda, in the
days of King Herod, behold
there came wise men from the
East, to Jerusalem, saying :
Where is he that is born King
of the Jews 1 for we have seen
his star in the east, and are
come to adore him. And
Herod hearing this, was
troubled, and all Jerusalem
with him. And assembling
together all the chief priests,
and the scribes of the people,
he enquired of them where
Christ should be born. But
they said to him : In Bethle-
hem of Juda : for it is writ-
ten by the Prophet : And thou,
Bethlehem, the land of Juda,
art not the least among the
princes of Juda : for out of
thee shall come forth the cap-
tain that shall rule my people
Israel. Then Herod privately
calling the Wise Men, learned
diligently of them the time of
the star, which appeared to
them : and sending them into
Bethlehem, said : Go, and di-
ligently enquire after the
Child : and when you have

Sequentia sancti Evangelii
secundum Matthaeum.

Gh. II.

Cum natus esset Jesus in
Bethlehem Juda, in diebus
Herodis regis, ecce Magi
ab Oriente venerunt Jeroso-
lymam, dicentes : Ubi est
qui natus est Rex Judseo-
rum? vidimus enim stellam
ejus in Oriente, et venimus
adorare eum. Audiens au-
tem Herodes rex, turbatus
est, et omiris Jerosolyma
cum illo. Et congregans,
omnes principes sacerdo-
tum, et scribas populi, scis-
citabatur ab eis ubi Chris-
tus nasceretur. At illi dixe-
runt ei : In Bethlehem
Juda3 : sic enim scriptum
est per Prophetam : Et tu,
Bethlehem, terra Juda, ne-
quaquam minima es in
principibus Juda : ex te
enim exiet dux qui regat po-
pulum meum Israel. Tunc
Herodes, clam vocatis Ma-
gis, diligenter didicit ab eis
tempus stellae, quae apparuit
eis : et mittens illos in Beth-
lehem, dixit : Ite, et inter-
rogate diligenter de puero :
et, cum inveneritis, renun-
tiate mihi, ut et ego veniens

140

CHRISTMAS.

adorem eum. Qui, cum
audissent regem, abierunt.
Et ecce stella, quam vide-
rant in Oriente, antecede-
bat eos, usque dum veniens
staret supra ubi erat puer.
Videntes autem stellam,
gavisi sunt gaudio magno
valde. Et intrantes do-
mum, invenerunt puerum
cum Maria matre ejus, {here,
all kneel,) et procidentes
adoraverunt eum. Et, aper-
tis thesauris suis, obtulerunt
ei munera ; aurum, thus et
myrrham. Et responso ac-
cepto in somnis ne redirent
ad Herodem, per aliam viam
reversi sunt in regionem
suam.

found him, bring me word
again, that I also may come
and adore him. Who, having
heard the king, went their
way. And behold the star,
which they had seen in the
east, went before them,
until it came and stood over
where the Child was. And
seeing the star, they rejoiced
with exceeding great joy. And
entering into the house, they
found the Child with Mary,
his Mother, {here, all kneel,)
and falling down, they adored
him. And, opening their trea-
sures, they offered him gifts,
gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having received an answer
in sleep, that they should not
return to Herod, they went
back another way into their
own country.

The Magi, the first-fruits of the Gentile-world, have
been admitted into the court of the great King whom
they have been seeking, and we have followed them.
The Child has smiled upon us, as he did upon them.
All the fatigues of the long journey — which man
must take to reach his God — all are over and for-
gotten ; our Emmanuel is with us, and we are with
him. Bethlehem has received us, and we will not
leave her again — for, in Bethlehem, we have the
Child, and Mary his Mother. Where else could we
find riches like these that Bethlehem gives us ? Oh !
let us beseech this incomparable Mother to give us
this Child of hers, (for he is our light, and our love,
and our Bread of life,) now that we are about to
approach the Altar, led by the Star of our faith. Let
us, at once, open our treasures ; let us prepare our
gold, our frankincense, and our myrrh, for the sweet
Babe, our King. He will be pleased with our gifts,

THE EPIPHANY. 141

and we know lie never suffers himself to be outdone
in generosity. When we have to return to our duties,
we will, like the Magi, leave our hearts with our
Jesus ; and it shall be by another way, by a new
manner of life, that we will finish our sojourn in this
country of our exile, looking forward to that happy
day, when life and light eternal will come and absorb
into themselves the shadows of vanity and time,
which now hang over us.

In Cathedral and other principal Churches, after
the Gospel has been sung, the approaching Feast of
Easter Sunda}^ is solemnly announced to the people.
This custom, which dates from the earliest ages of
the Church, shows both the mysterious connection
which unites the great Solemnities of the year one
with another, and the importance the Faithful ought
to attach to the celebration of that which is the
greatest of all, and the centre of all Religion. After
having honoured the King of the universe on the
Epiphany, we shall have to celebrate him, on the
day which is now announced to us, as the conqueror
of death. The following is the formula used for this
solemn announcement.

THE ANNOUNCEMENT OP EASTEK.

Know, dearly beloved Bre- Noveritis, fratres charis-
thren, that by the mercy of simi, quod annuente Dei
God, as we have been rejoicing misericordia, sicut de Nati-
in the Nativity of our Lord vitate Domini nostri Jesu
Jesus Christ, so also do we Christi gavisi sumus, ita et
announce unto you the joy of de Resurrectione ejusdem
the Resurrection, of the same Salvatoris nostri gaudium
our Saviour. Septuagesima 'vobisannuntiamus. Die...
Sunday will be on the . . . erit Dominica in Septn age-
day of . . . Ash Wednesday sima . . . Dies cinerum, et
and the beginning of the fast initium jejunii sacratissi-
of most holy Lent will be on mae Quadragesimae . . .
the . . . of . . . On the . . . Sanctum PaschaDomininos-
of . . .we shall celebrate with tri Jesu Christi cum gaudio
joy the holy Pasch of our Lord celebrabimus. Dominica se-
Jesus Christ. The Diocesan cunda post Pascha, Dicece-

142

CHRISTMAS.

sana Synodus habebitur . . .
erit Ascensio Domini nostri
Jesu Christi . . . Festum
Pentecostes . . . Festum sa-
cratissimi Corporis Christi
. . . Dominica prima Ad-
ventus Domini nostri Jesu
Christi, cui est honor et glo-
ria in saecula sseculorum.
Amen.

Synod will be held on the se-
cond Sunday after Easter. The
Ascension of our Lord Jesus
Christ will be on the ... of
. . . The Feast of Pentecost
on the . . . of . . . The Feast
of Corpus Christi on the . . .
of . . . On the . . . of . . . will
occur the first Sunday of the
Advent of our Lord Jesus
Christ, to whom are honour
and glory for ever and ever.
Amen.

During the Offertory, the holy Church, whilst pre-
senting the Bread and Wine to God, makes use of
the words of the Psalmist, who prophesies that the
Kings of Tharsis, Arabia, and Saba, together with
the kings and people of the whole earth, would come
to the new-born Saviour and offer him their gifts.

OFFERTORY.

Reges Tharsis et insulse
munera offerent : Reges
Arabum et Saba dona ad-
ducent : et adorabunt eum
omnes Reges terrae ; omnes
gentes servient illi.

The Kings of Tharsis, and
the islands, shall offer pre-
sents : the Kings of the Ara-
bians and of Saba shall bring
gifts : and all the Kings of the
earth shall adore him ; all na-
tions shall serve him.

SECRET.

Ecclesiae tuas, qusesumus,
Domine, dona propitius in-
tuere, quibus non jam au-
rum, thus et myrrha pro-
fertur : sed quod eisdem
muneribus declaratur, im-
molatur et sumitur, Jesus
Christus Films tuus Domi-
nus noster. Qui tecum.

Mercifully look down, O
Lord, we beseech thee, on the
offerings of thy Church, among
which gold, frankincense, and
myrrh, are no longer offered :
but what is signified by these
offerings, is sacrificed, and re-
ceived— Jesus Christ, thy Son,
our Lord. Who liveth, &c.

There is a proper Preface for the Feast and Octave
of the Epiphany. It celebrates the Divine and

THE EPIPHANY. 143

immortal Light that appeared through the veil of our
human nature, under which the Word, out of love for
us, concealed his glory.

PREFACE.

It is truly meet and just, Vere dignum et justum

right and available to salva- est, aequum et salutare, nos

tion, that we should always, tibi semper et ubique gra-

and in all places, give thanks tias agere : Domine sancte,

to thee, 0 Holy Lord, Almighty Pater omnipotens, aeterne

Father, Eternal God ; because Deus : quia cum Unigenitus

when thine Only Begotten Son tuus in substantia nostras

appeared in the substance of mortalitatis apparuit, nova

our mortal flesh, he repaired us nos immortalitatis suae luce

by the new light of his immor- reparavit. Et ideo cum An-

tality. And therefore, with gelis et Archangelis, cum

the Angels and Archangels, Thronis et Dominationibus,

with the Thrones and Domi- cumque omni militia coe-

nations, and with all the hea- lestis exercitus, hymnum

venly host, we sing a hymn to glorise tuse canimus sine fine

thy glory, saying unceasingly : dicentes : Sanctus, Sanctus,

Holy, Holy, Holy. Sanctus.

During the Communion, the holy Church, now
united to Him who is her King and Spouse, sings
the praises of that Star, which was the messenger of
this Jesus; she is full of joy that she followed its
light, for it has brought her to her God.

COMMUNION".

We have seen his star in the Vidimus stellam ejus in
East : and are come with offer- Oriente : et venimus cum
ings to adore the Lord. muneribus adorare Domi-

num.

Such graces as these that you have received require
from you a corresponding fidelity ; the Church asks
it for you in her Postcommunion ; she begs of God to
give you that spiritual understanding and purity,
which these ineffable mysteries call for.

144 CHRISTMAS.

POSTCOMMTTNION.

Prsesta, qusesumus, omni- Grant, we beseech thee, O

potens Deus, ut quae solemni Almighty God, that our minds

celebramus officio, purificatae may be so purified, as to un-

mentis intelligentia conse- derstand what we celebrate on

quamur. Per Dominum. this great solemnity. Through,

SECOND VESPERS OF THE EPIPHANY.

The Second Yespers of our great Feast are almost
exactly the same as the First. The same Antiphons
tell us of the Theophany, the divine Apparition,
here below, of that eternal Word begotten before the
day-star, and come down to us to be our Saviour ;
of the glory of the Lord that has risen upon Jeru-
salem, and of the Gentiles walking in the light he
gives them ; of the Magi opening their treasures, and
laying their mystic gifts at the feet of the Child our
King ; of the seas, and rivers, and fountains, that
are sanctified by the baptism of the God-Man ; and
lastly, of the wonderful brightness of the Star, which
points out the King of kings.

But the fifth Psalm is changed. Instead of the
Psalm, which yesterday invited all nations to praise
the Lord, the Church sings the 113th, In exitu
Israel, (page 103,) wherein the Royal Prophet, after
having commemorated the deliverance of Israel, de-
nounces the idols of the Gentiles as the works of the
hands of men ; all are to fall at the approach of Jesus.
The adoption granted to Jacob is now extended to all
nations. God will bless, not ouly the house of Israel,
and the house of Aaron, but all that fear the Lord,
no matter of what race or nation they may be.

The Antiphons and Psalms are, therefore, as in
First Yespers, (page 130,) excepting the fifth Psalm,
which is In exitu Israel, (page 103).

THE EPIPHANY.

145

The Capituluni is, also, as in First Vespers,
page 132.

The Hymn, Crudelis Herodes, after the Capitulum.
After the Hymn, the following versicle :

$\ The Kings of Tharsis, "ft. Reges Tharsis et in-

and the islands, shall offer sulse munera offerent.
presents.

I£. The Kings of the I£. Reges Arahum et Saba

Arabians and of Saba shall dona adducent,
bring gifts.

In the Antiphon of our Lady's Canticle, the
Church once more commemorates the triple mystery
of to-day's solemnity.

antiphon of the Magnificat.

Ant. We celebrate a festi-
val adorned by three miracles :
this day, a star led the Magi
to the manger ; this day,
water was changed into wine
at the marriage-feast ; this
day, Christ vouchsafed to be
baptised by John in the Jor-
dan, for our salvation. Alle-
luia.

Ant. Tribus miraculis or-
natum diem sanctum coli-
mus : hodie stella Magos
duxit ad prsesepium : hodie
vinum ex aqua factum est
ad nuptias : hodie in Jor-
dane a Joanne Christus
baptizari voluit, ut salvaret
nos. Alleluia.

LET US PRAY.

O God, who by the direc-
tion of a star, didst this day
manifest thy only Son to the
Gentiles : mercifully grant,
that we, who now know thee
by faith, may come at length
to see the glory of thy Ma-
jesty. Through the same, doc.

OREMUS.

Deus, qui hodierna die
Unigenitum tuum Gentibus
stella duce, revelasti : con-
cede propitius, ut qui jam
te ex fide cognovimus, us-
que ad contemplandam spe-
ciem tuse celsitudinis per-
ducamur. Per eumdem.

On each day during the Octave of this great Feast,
we intend giving portions from the ancient Liturgies,

eo l

146

CHRISTMAS.

which were used by the several Churches in honour
either of the triple mystery of the Epiphany, or of
the coming of the Wise Men to Bethlehem, or of
the Baptism of Christ. Some of these pieces were
upon the Birth of the Infant God, or upon the Mater-
nity of the Holy Virgin.

We commence our selection for to-day by the
Hymn composed by St. Ambrose ; it is used by the
Church of Milan.

HYMN.

Illuminans Altissimus
Micantium astrorum globos,
Pax, vita, lumen, Veritas,
Jesu, fave precantibus.

Seu mystico baptismate,
Fluenta Jordanis retro
Conversa quondam tertio,
Praesentem sacraris diem.

Seu stella partum Virginis
Ccelo micans signaveris,
Et hac adoratum die
Prsesepe Magos duxeris.

Vel hydriis plenis aqua
Vini saporem infuderis :
Hausit minister conscius
Quod ipse non impleverat.

Gloria tibi, Domine,
Qui apparuisti hodie,
Cum Patre et Sancto Spi-

ritu,
In sempiterna ssecula.

Amen.

Most High God ! thou that
enkindlest the fires of the
shining stars ! O Jesus ! thou
that art life, and light, and
truth, hear and grant our
prayers.

This present day has been
made holy by thy mystic Bap-
tism, whereby thou didst
sanctify those waters of the
Jordan, which, of old, were
thrice turned back.

It is holy by the Star shin-
ing in the heavens, whereby
thou didst announce thy Vir-
ginal Mother's delivery, and
didst, on this same day, lead
the Magi to adore thee in thy
Crib^

It is holy, too, by thy chang-
ing the water of the pitchers
into wine ; which the steward
of the feast, knowing that he
had not so filled them, drew
forth for the guests.

Glory be to thee, O Lord
Jesus ! that didst appear on
this Day ! and to the Father
and to the Holy Ghost, for
everlasting ages.

Amen.

THE EPIPHANY.

147

The following Preface is from the Sacramentary
of St. Gelasius.

PREFACE.

It is truly meet and just,
right and available to salva-
tion, that we give thee praise,
O Lord, for that thou art
wonderful in all thy works,
whereby thou hast revealed
the mysteries of thy Kingdom.
Thus it was that a Star, the
messenger of the Virginal
Delivery, was the forerunner
of this Feast ; a Star, which
proclaimed to the wondering
Magi, that the Lord of heaven
was born on the earth : that
thus, the God who was to be
manifested unto the world,
might both be made known
by a heavenly indication, and
He that was to be born in
time be revealed by the mi-
nistry of those signs which
serve to mark time.

Vere dignum et justum
est, aequum et salutare, te
laudare mirabilem Domi-
num in omnibus operibus
tuis, quibus regni tui mys-
teria revelasti. Hancque
enim festivitatem index
puerperae virginalis stella
praecessit, quae natum in
terra cceli Dominum Magis
stupentibus nuntiaret, ut
manifestandus mundo Deus,
et ccelesti denunciaretur in-
dicio, et temporaliter pro-
creatus, signorum tempora-
lium ministerio pandere-
tur.

The Sequence-book of the Monastery of St. Gall
contains the one we now give : it was composed in
the ninth century by the celebrated Notker.

SEQUENCE.

Let the whole of Christen-
dom celebrate the feasts of
Christ.

They are adorned in a won-
derful way, and are venerated
by all nations.

They commemorate the
coming of Him that is Lord
of all things, and the vocation
of the Gentiles.

_ Festa Christi omnis chris-
tianitas celebret.

Quae miris sunt modis
ornata, cunctisque vene-
randa populis.

Per omnitenentis adven-
tum, atque vocationem Gen-
tium.

148

CHRISTMAS.

Ut natus est Christus, est
Stella Magis visa lucida.

At illi non cassam putan-
tes tanti signi gloriam,

Secum munera deferunt,
parvulo offerunt, ut Regi
eoeli quern sidus prsedicat.

Atque aureo tumidi prin-
cipis lectulo transito, Chris-
ti prsesepe quseritant.

Hinc ira saevi Herodis f er-
vida invidi recens rectori
genito.

Bethlehem parvulos prae-
cipit ense crudeli perdere.

0 Christe ! quantum Pa-
tri exercitum, juvenis doc-
tus ad bella maxima, populis
praedicans colliges, sugens
cum tantum miseris.

Anno hominis tricesimo,
subtus famuli se inclyti in-
clinaverat magnus Deus,
consecrans nobis baptisma,
in absolutionem criminum.

Ecce Spiritus in specie
ipsum alitis innocuae, unc-
turus Sanctis prae omnibus,
visitat, semper ipsius con-
tentus mansione pectoris.

Patris etiam insonuit vox
pia, veteris oblita sermonis :
pcenitet me fecisse homi-
nem.

When Christ was born, a
bright star was seen by the
Magi.

Whereupon, they, knowing
that the splendour of such a
sign could not be unmeaning,

Take with them gifts, and
offer them to the Little Child,
as the King foretold by the
star of heaven.

Passing by the golden couch
of a haughty prince, they set
out in search of the Crib of
Christ.

At this, the cruel Herod
boils with anger ; he is jealous
of the new-born King.

He commands the male chil-
dren of Bethlehem to be cru-
elly put to death by the sword.

O Jesus ! what an army wilt
thou not levy for thy Father,
when in the fulness of thine
age thou shalt carry on the
supreme battle, preaching thy
doctrines to mankind 1 — for
even now that thou art a weak
Babe thou sendest such a
host.

Having reached his thirtieth
year, this great God bowed
himself down beneath the
hand of his glorious servant ;
thus consecrating Baptism for
us, unto the remission of our
sins.

Lo ! the Spirit visits him in
the form of the innocent dove :
he is about to anoint him
above all the Saints, and will
abide with everlasting love in
the dwelling of that Breast.

The loving voice of the
Father is also heard ; and
those ancient words : it re-
pents me that I made man, are
now forgotten.

THE EPIPHANY.

149

" Thou art," he says, " nry
" Son, my beloved, in whom I
" am well pleased. This day,
" my Son ! have I begotten
" thee."

" All ye people, hear this
" your Teacher." Amen.

Vere Filius es tu meus,
mihimet placitus, in quo
sum placatus : hodie, Fili
mi, genui te.

Huic omnes ausculate po-
puli praeceptori. Amen.

The Mensea of the Greek Church give us the fol-
lowing fine stanzas in the Hymn for the Nativity of
our Lord.

IN NATALI DOMINI.

I hear the Angels singing at
Bethlehem Gloria in excelsis
Deo ! I hear them tell us, that
there is peace on earth, to men
of good will. Oh ! see that
Virgin, she is lovelier than the
heavens : — for, from her has
risen a Light to them that sat
in darkness, exalting humble
hearts that sing, as did the
Angels, Gloria in excelsis Deo!

Rejoice, O Israel ! Sing forth
praise, all ye that love Sion !
The chain of Adam's condem-
nation is broken ; Paradise is
opened to us ; the Serpent is
weakened, for woman, whom
he had deceived in the begin-
ning, is now before his gaze —
the Mother of the Creator.
Oh ! the depth of the riches
and wisdom and knowledge of
God ! She that had brought
Death — the work of sin — into
all flesh, is now, through the
Mother of God, made the
source of salvation. For, of
Her is born a Little Child,
who is the all-perfect God, and
who, by his Birth, did but
consecrate the Virginity of his
Mother ; by his swathing-
bands, he loosened the chains

Gloria in excelsis Deo, in
Bethlehem audio ab Ange-
lis ; in terra pacem fieri ho-
minibus bonse voluntatis.
Nunc Virgo ccelis amplior ;
exortum est enim lumen
sedentibus in tenebris, et
exaltavit humiles ac ange-
lice canentes : Gloria in ex-
celsis Deo.

Laetare, Israel : laudem
dicite omnes qui diligitis
Sion. Solutum est vinculum
damnationis Adam ; Para-
disus apertus est nobis ; ser-
pens debilitatus est : quam
enim deceperat principio,
nunc contemplatur Creato-
ris Matrem efiectam. O
abyssus divitiarum et sa-
pientiae et scientiae Dei !
Quae mortem in omnem car-
nem introduxerat peccati
opus, salutis principium
facta est per Deiparam. Par-
vulus enim ex ea nascitur,
omniperfectus Deus, et per
partum Virginitati apponit
sigillum, peccatorum cate-
nas fasciis resolvens, et pro-
pria infantia, Evae mceste
parturientis doloribus me-

150

CHRISTMAS.

delam afferens. Choreas du-
cat nunc omnis creatura et
exsultet : ad revocandam
enim earn advenit Christus,
et ad salvandas animas nos-
tras.

Nativitas tua, Deus nos-
ter, lumen gnoseos attulit
mundo : in ipsa enim qui
adorabant sidera, a sidere
discunt adorare te Solem
Justitise, et cognoscere Ori-
entem ex alto : Domine,
gloria tibi.

Eden in Bethlehem aper-
tum est : venite, videamus,
thesaurum absconditum in-
veniemus ; venite, teneamus
in antro quae sunt in Para-
diso. Hie apparuit radix
non irrigata, germinans ve-
niam ; hie invenitur puteus
infossus e eujus aqua olim
David bibere desideravit ;
hie Virgo parvulum enixa,
sitimDavidis et Adami ocius
sedavit ; ideoque magis fes-
tinemus ad locum ubi natus
est parvulus novus ante sae-
cula Deus.

Gaudete justi ; cceli ju-
bilate, exsultate montes :
Christus natus est; Yirgo
sedet, Cherubim imitata,
portans in sinu suo Deum
Verbum carofactum : pas-
tores natum glorificant :
Magi Domino dona offerunt:
Angeli hymnificantes cla-

of sin ; and by his own In-
fancy, he comforted the pangs
of child-birth to sorrowing
Eve. Let every creature now
keep choir and be glad, for
Christ is come that he may
reclaim mankind, and save
our souls.

Thy Nativity, 0 Lord our
God ! brought to the world
the light of knowledge ; for,
by it, they that had adored the
stars, were taught, by a Star,
to adore thee, the Sun of Jus-
tice, and acknowledge thee as
the Orient from on high.
Glory be to thee, O Lord !

Eden has been opened in
Bethlehem ! Come, let us go
and see ; we shall find the
hidden Treasure. Come, let
us go and possess in the Cave
the things that are in Paradise.
Here it is that there has ap-
peared the unwatered Boot,
that has budded forth our
pardon. Here is the well
not dug by human hand, of
whose water David heretofore
desired to drink. Here a
Virgin has brought forth a
Child, by whom she quickly
slakes the thirst of Adam and
David. ; Therefore, let us go
with quicker haste to the place
where is born the new Babe,
who is God before all ages.

Bejoice, ye just ; be glad,
ye heavens ; exult, ye moun-
tains ! Christ is born. The
Virgin, cherub-like, sits bear-
ing on her lap God, the Word
made Flesh. The Shepherds
are giving glory to the Babe.
The Magi are offering gifts to
the Lord. The Angels are

THE EPIPHANY.

151

singing this hymn : 0 Incom- mant : Incomprehensibilis
prehensible God ! glory be to Domine, gloria tibi.
thee.

Let us recite the following Prose, composed by the
pious Monk Herman Contract : it will assist us to
honour the ever Blessed Mother of our Jesus.

SEQUENCE.

Hail, Mary ! beautiful Star
of the Sea ! that hast risen, by
God's mercy, to give light to
all nations.

Welcome ! O Gate open to
none but God ! Thou bringest
into the world the Light of
truth, the very Sun of Justice,
clad in human flesh.

O Virgin ! thou beauty of
the world, Queen of heaven,
brilliant as the Sun, lovely as
the moon's brightness ! think
on all us who love thee.

The ancient Fathers and
Prophets, full of faith, longed
for thee to be born, the Rod of
the fair root of Jesse.

Gabriel spoke of thee as the
Tree of Life, that, by the dew
of the Holy Spirit, shouldst
bring forth the divine flower-
ing Almond Tree.

'Twas thou didst lead the
Lamb, the King that rules the
earth, from the rock of the
desert of Moab to the mount
of the daughter of Sion.

'Twas thou didst free the
world of its destroying sin, by
crushing the angry Leviathan,
the crooked and bar Serpent.

We, therefore, the remnants
of the nations, in honour of
thy dear memory, call down
upon our altar, there to be

Ave, praeclara maris stella,
in lucem gentium, Maria,
divinitus orta.

Euge, Dei porta, quae non
aperta ; veritatis lumen, ip-
sum Solem justitiae, indu-
tum carne, ducis in orbem.

Virgo decus mundi, re-
gina coeli, praeelecta ut sol,
pulchra lunaris ut fulgor :
agnosce omnes te diligentes.

Te plena fide, virgam al-
mae stirpis Jesse nascituram
priores desideraverant Pa-
tres et Prophetae.

Te lignum vitae, Sancto
rorante Pneumate paritu-
ram divini floris amygda-
lum, signavit Gabriel.

Tu Agnum, Regem terrae
dominatorem, Moabitici de
petra deserti ad montem
filiae Sion traduxisti.

Tuque furentem Levia-
than, serpentem tortuosum
etvectem colli dens, damnoso
crimine mundum exemisti.

Hinc gentium nos reli-
quiae, tuae sub cultu me-
moriae, mirum in modum
quern es enixa Agnum reg-

152

CHRISTMAS.

nantem coelo aeternaliter,
revocanms ad aram, mac-
tandum mysterialiter.

Hinc manna verumlsrael-
itis veris, veri Abrahse fi-
liis adnrirantibus, quondam
Moysi quodTypus figurabat,
jam nunc abducto velo datur
perspici. Ora Virgo, nos illo
pane cceli dignos efnci.

Fac f ontem dulcem, quern
in deserto petra prsemons-
travit, degustare cum sin-
cera fide, renesque con-
stringi lotos in mari, anguem
aeneum in cruce speculari.

Fac igni sancto Patris-
que verbo, quod, rubus ut
flammam, tu portasti, Virgo
mater facta, pecuali dis-
tinctos pede, mundos labiis
cordeque propinquare.

Audi nos : nam te Filius
nihil negans honorat.

Salva nos, Jesu, pro qui-
bus Virgo mater te orat.

Da f ontem boni visere,
da purae mentis oculos in te
defigere.

Quo liaustu sapientise sa-
porem vitas valeat mens in-
telligere.

Christianismi fidem ope-
ribus redimire, beatoque

mystically immolated, the
Lamb that reigns eternally in
heaven, whom thou didst so
wonderfully bring forth.

The veil is now drawn aside,
and we, the true Israelites, the
children of the true Abraham,
are permitted to fix our asto-
nished eyes on the true Manna,
of which that of Moses was
the figure and type. Pray for
us, 0 Virgin, that we may be
made worthy of that Bread of
heaven.

Pray for us, that, with sin-
cere faith, we may taste of
that sweet fountain, which was
prefigured by the rock in the
desert ; and that, having our
loins girt, we may safely cross
the sea, and be permitted to
look upon the brazen serpent
on the Cross.

Having our sandals off our
feet, and our lips and hearts
made pure, pray for us, that
we may come nigh to that
holy flame, the Word of the
Father, which thou, O Virgin
Mother, didst carry within
thee, as the Bush did the fire.

Hear us, O Mary ! for thy
Son honours thee by granting
thee all thy prayers.

And thou, 0 Jesus ! save
us, for whom thy Virgin
Mother prays.

Grant us to see the source
of every good ! Grant us to
fix on thee the eyes of our
purified souls.

May our souls drink in the
water of wisdom, and feed
with understanding on the
sweet food of Life.

Do thou, Creator of the
world ! give us grace to adorn

THE EPIPHANY. 153

our Christian faith with works, fine ex hujus incolatu, sse-

and, by a happy death, to pass culi auctor, ad te transire.

from this life's exile to thee. Amen.
Amen.

We also, O Jesus ! come to adore thee on this
glorious Epiphany, which brings all nations to thy
feet. We walk in the footsteps of the Magi ; for we,
too, have seen the Star, and we are come to thee.
Glory be to thee, dear King ! to thee who didst say
in the Canticle of David thine ancestor: " I am ap-
" pointed King over Sion, the holy mountain, that I
"may preach the commandment of the Lord. The
"Lord hath said to me, that he will give me the
" Gentiles for mine inheritance, and the utmost parts
" of the earth for my possession. Now, therefore, O
" ye kings, understand : receive instruction, ye that
"judge the earth."1

Thou wilt say, 0 Emmanuel ! with thine own lips :
All power is given to me in heaven and on earth,2
and a few years after, the whole earth will have re-
ceived thy law. Even now, Jerusalem is troubled ;
Herod is trembling on his throne ; bnt the day is at
hand when the heralds of thy coming will go through-
out the whole world, proclaiming that He, who was
the Desired of nations? is come. The word that is
to subject the earth to thee, will go forth,4 and, like
an immense fire, will stretch to the uttermost parts
of the universe. In vain will the strong ones of this
world attempt to arrest its course. An Emperor
will propose to the Senate, as the only means of
staying the progress of thy conquests, that thy Name
be solemnly enrolled in the list of those gods, whom
thou comest to destroy. Other Emperors will en-
deavour to abolish thy kingdom by the slaughter of
thy soldiers. But, all these efforts are vain. The

1 Ps. ii. 6, 8, 10. 3 Agg. ii. 8.

2 St. Matth. xxviii. 18. * Ps. xviii. 5.

154 CHRISTMAS.

day will come, when the Cross, the sign of thy
power, will adorn the imperial banner ; the Emperors
will lay their crown at thy feet ; and proud Rome
will cease to be the capital of the empire of this
world's strength and power, in order that she may
become, for ever, the centre of thy peaceful and
universal kingdom.

We already see the dawn of that glorious day.
Thy conquests, 0 King of ages I begin with thine
Epiphany. Thou callest, from the extreme parts of
the unbelieving East, the first-fruits of that Gentile-
world, which hitherto had not been thy people, and
which is now to form thine inheritance. Hence-
forth, there is to be no distinction of Jew and Greek,
of Barbarian and Scythian.1 Thou hast loved Man
above Angel, for thou hast redeemed the one, whilst
thou hast left the other in his fall. If thy predilec-
tion, for a long period of ages, was for the race of
Abraham, henceforth thy preference is to be given to
the Gentiles. Israel was but a single people ; we are
numerous as the sands of the sea, and the stars of
the firmament.2 Israel was under the law of fear ;
thou hast reserved the law of love for us.

From this day of thy Manifestation, O divine
King ! begins thy separation from the Synagogue,
which refuses thy love ; and on this same Day, thou
takest, in the person of the Magi, the Gentiles as thy
Spouse. Thy union with her will soon be proclaimed
from the Cross, when, turning thy face from the un-
grateful Jerusalem, thou wilt stretch forth thy hands
towards the nations of the Gentiles. 0 ineffable joy
of thy Birth ! but 0 still better joy of thine Epiphany,
wherein we, the once disinherited, are permitted to
approach to thee, offer thee our gifts, and see thee
graciously accept thero, 0 merciful Emmanuel !

Thanks be to thee, 0 Infant God ! for that un-

1 Coloss. iii. 11. 2 Gen. xxii. 17.

THE EPIPHANY. 155

speahable gift1 of Faith, which, as thy Apostle teaches
us, hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and
hath translated us into thy kingdom, making us par-
takers of the lot of the Saints in Light.2 Give us grace
to grow in the knowledge of this thy Gift, and to un-
derstand the importance of this great Day, whereon
thou makest alliance with the whole human race,
which thou wouldst afterwards make thy Bride by
espousing her. Oh ! the mystery of this Marriage
Feast, dear Jesus ! " A Marriage," says one of thy
Vicars on earth,3 " that was promised to the Patri-
" arch Abraham, confirmed by oath to King David,
"accomplished in Mary when she became Mother,
"and consummated, confirmed, and declared, on this
" day ; consummated in the adoration of the Magi,
" confirmed in the Baptism in the Jordan, and de-
clared in the miracle of the water changed into
" wine." On this Marriage-Feast, — where the Church,
thy Spouse, already receives queenly honours — we
will sing to thee, 0 Jesus ! with all the fervour of
our hearts, these words of to-day's Office, which
sweetly blend the Three Mysteries into one — that of
thy Alliance with us.

ANTIPHON OF LAUDS.

Ant. This day, is the Church Ant. Hodie ccelesti Spon-
united to the heavenly Spouse, so juncta est Ecclesia, quo-
f or Christ, in the Jordan, niam in Jordane lavit Chris-
washes away her sins : the tus ejus crimina : currunt
Magi run to the royal Nup- cum muneribus Magi ad re-
tials with their gifts : and the gales nuptias, et ex aqua
guests of the Feast are glad- facto vino lsetantur convivse.
dened by the water changed Alleluia,
into wine. Alleluia.

1 II. Cor. ix. 15. 2 Coloss. i. 12, 13. 3 Innocent the Third.

156 CHRISTMAS.

SUNDAY

WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY.

(If the Epiphany fall on a Saturday, the Mass
and Office, we now give, are said on the following
Day. Otherwise, they are deferred to the day within
the Octave which is Sunday)

MASS.

It is the Kingship of the divine Infant that the
Church again proclaims in the opening Canticle of
the Mass for the Sunday within the Octave of the
Epiphany. She sings the praises of her Emmanuel's
Throne, and takes her part with the Angels who
hymn the glory of Jesus' eternal Empire. Let us
do the same, and adore the King of Ages, in his
Epiphany.

INTEOIT.

In excelso throno vidi I saw a man seated on a

sedere virum, quern adorat high throne, whom a multi-

multitudo Angelorum psal- tude of Angels adored, sing-

lentes in unum : ecce cujus ing all together : Behold him,

imperii nomen est in seter- whose name and empire are

num. to last for ever.

Ps. Jubilate Deo omnis Ps. Sing joyfully to God, all

terra : servite Domino in the earth : serve ye the Lord

laetitia. Gloria Patri. In with gladness. Glory. I saw.
excelso.

The prayer made by the holy Church to the hea-
venly Father, in the Collect, is, that she may be

SUNDAY WITHIN OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY. 157

enlightened by that Sun of Justice, her Jesus, who
alone can teach us the way in which we are to walk,
and, by his vivifying warmth, give us strength to
reach our home.

COLLECT.

According to thy divine
mercy, O Lord, receive the
vows of thy people, who pour
forth their prayers to thee :
that they may know what their
duty requireth of them, and
be able to comply with what
they know. Through, &c.

Vota, quaesumus Domine,
supplicantis populi ccelesti
pietate prosequere : ut et
quae agenda sunt, videant ;
et ad implenda quae vide-
rint, convalescant. Per Do-
minum.

Commemoration of the Epiphany.

O God, who by the direc-
tion of a star, didst this day
manifest thy only Son to the
Gentiles : mercifully grant,
that we, who now know thee
by faith, may come at length
to see the glory of thy Majesty.
Through the same, &c.

Deus, qui hodierna die
Unigenitum tuumGentibus,
stella duce, revelasti : con-
cede propitius, ut qui jam
te ex fide cognovimus, us-
que ad contemplandam spe-
ciem tuae celsitudinis per-
ducamur. Per eumdem.

EPISTLE.

Lesson of the Epistle of Saint
Paul the Apostle to the
Romans.

Ch. XII

Brethren, I beseech you, by
the mercy of God, that you
present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy, pleasing unto
God, your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this
world, but be reformed in the
newness of your mind : that
you may prove what is the
good, and the acceptable, and
the perfect will of God. For
I say, by the grace that is
given me, to all that are among

Lectio Epistolae Beati Pauli
Apostoli ad Romanos.

Cap. XII.

Fratres, obsecro vos per
misericordiam Dei, ut exhi-
beatis corpora vestra hos-
tiam viventem, sanctam,
Deo placentem, rationabile
obsequium vest rum. Et no-
lite conformari huic saeculo,
sed reformamini in novitate
sensus vestri : ut probetis
quae sit voluntas Dei bona,
et beneplacens, et perfecta.
Dico enim per gratiam quae
data est mihi, omnibus qui

158 CHKISTMAS.

sunt inter vos : Non plus you, not to be more wise than

sapere quam oportet sapere, it behoveth to be wise, but to

sed sapere ad sobrietatem : be wise unto sobriety, and ac-

et unicuique sicut Deus di- cording as God- hath divided

visit mensuram fidei. Sicut unto every one the measure

enim in uno corpore multa of faith. For as in one body

membra habemus, omnia we have many members, but

autem membra non eumdem all the members have not the

actum, habent : ita multi same office : so we, being

unum corpus sumus in many, are one body in Christ,

Christo, singuli autem alter and every one members of one

alterius membra : in Christo another, in Jesus Christ our

Jesu Domino nostro. Lord.

The Apostle invites us to make our offering to the
new-born King, after the example of the Magi ; but,
the offering which this Lord of all things asks of us,
is not anything material or lifeless. He that is Life,
gives his whole self to us ; let us, in return, present
him our hearts, that is, a living sacrifice, holy,
pleasing unto God; whose service may be reason-
able, that is, whose obedience to the divine will may
be accompanied by a formal intention of offering
itself to its Creator. Here again, let us imitate the
Magi, who went bach another way into their own
country — let us not adopt the ideas of this world,
for the world is the covert enemy of our beloved
King. Let us reform oar worldly prudence accord-
ing to the divine wisdom of Him, who may well be
our guide, seeing he is the Eternal Wisdom of the
Father. Let us understand, that no man can be
wise without Faith, which reveals to us that we must
all be united by love, so as to form one body i/n
Christ, partaking of his life, his wisdom, his light,
and his kingly character.

In the chant which follows the Epistle, the Church
returns to her praise of the ineffable wonders of a
God with us : Justice and righteousness have come
down from heaven, to take up their abode on our
mountains and hills.

SUNDAY WITHIN OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY. 159

GKADTTAL.

Blessed be the Lord, the BenedictusDominusDeus

God of Israel, who alone hath Israel, qui facit mirabilia

done great wonders from, the magna solus a saeculo.
beginning.

ft. Let the mountains re- ft. Suscipiant montes pa-

ceive peace for thy people, and cem populo tuo, et colles

the hills righteousness. justitiam.

, Alleluia, alleluia. Alleluia, alleluia.

$". Sing joyfully to the Lord ft. Jubilate Deo omnis

all the earth : serve ye the terra : servite Domino in

Lord with gladness. Alleluia, lsetitia. Alleluia.

GOSPEL.

Sequel of the holy Gospel
according to Luke.

Ch. II.

When Jesus was twelve
years old, they went up to
Jerusalem, according to the
custom of the feast ; and hav-
ing fulfilled the days, when
they returned, the Child Jesus
remained in Jerusalem, and
his Parents knew it not. And
thinking that he was in the
company, they came a day's
journey, and sought him
among their kinsfolk and ac-
quaintance. And not finding
him, they returned into Jeru-
salem, seeking him. And it
came to pass, that after three
days they found him in the
temple, sitting in the midst of
the doctors, hearing them, and
asking them questions. And
all that heard him, were as-
tonished at his wisdom and
his answers. And seeing him,
they wondered. And his
Mother said to him : Son, why
hast thou done so to us 1 Be-
hold thy father and I have

Sequentia sancti Evangelii
secundum Lucam.

Cap. II.

Cum factus esset Jesus
annorum duodecim, ascen-
dentibus illis Jerosolymam
secundum consuetudinem
diei festi, consummatisque
diebus, cum redirent, re,-
mansit puer Jesus in Jeru-
salem, et non cognoverunt
parentes ejus. Existimantes
autem ilium esse in comi-
tatu, venerunt iter diei, et
require bant eum inter cog-
natos et notos. Et non in-
venientes, regressi sunt in
Jerusalem, requirentes eum.
Et factum est, post triduum
invenerunt ilium in templo
sedentem in medio docto-
rum, audientem illos, et in-
terrogantem eos. Stupebant
autem omnes, qui eum au-
diebant, super prudentia et
responsis ejus. Et videntes
admirati sunt. Et dixit
mater ejus ad ilium : Fili,
quid fecisti nobis sic 1 ecce
pater tuus et ego dolentes

160 CHRISTMAS.

quserebamus te. Et ait ad sought thee sorrowing. And
illos : Quid est quod me he said to them : How is it
quserebatis 1 Nesciebatis that you sought me 1 Did you
quia in his quae Patris mei not know that I must be about
sunt, oportet me esse 1 Et my Father's business % And
ipsi non intellexerunt ver- they understood not the word
bum, quod locutus est ad that he spoke unto them. And
eos. Et descendit cum eis, he went down with them, and
et venit Nazareth : et erat came to Nazareth, and was
subditus illis. Et mater subject to them. And his
ejus conservabat omnia ver- Mother kept all these words
ba hsec in corde suo. Et in her heart. And Jesus ad-
Jesus proficiebatsapientia,et vanced in wisdom, and age,
setate et gratia apud Deum and grace, with God and men.
et homines.

Thus, 0 Jesus ! didst thou come down from
heaven to teach us. The tender age of Childhood,
which thou didst take upon thyself, is no hindrance
to the ardour of thy desire that we should know the
one only God, who made all things, and thee, his Son,
whom he sent to us. When laid in the Crib, thou
didst instruct the Shepherds by a mere look ; when
swathed in thy humble swaddling-clothes, and sub-
jected to the voluntary silence thou hadst imposed
on thyself, thou didst reveal to the Magi the light they
sought in following the Star. When twelve years
old, thou explainest to the Doctors of Israel the
Scriptures which bear testimony to thee. Thou
gradually dispellest the shadows of the Law by thy
presence and thy words. In order to fulfil the com-
mands of thy heavenly Father, thou dost not hesitate
to occasion sorrow to the heart of thy Mother, by
thus going in quest of souls that need enlightening.
Thy love of man will pierce that tender Heart of
Mary with a still sharper sword, when she shall
behold thee hanging on the Cross, and expiring in
the midst of crudest pain. Blessed be thou, sweet
Jesus, in these first Mysteries of thine Infancy,
wherein thou already showest thyself devoted to us,
and leaving the company of thy Blessed Mother

SUNDAY WITHIN OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY. 161

for that of sinful men, who will one day conspire
thy Death.

During the Offertory, the Church resumes her
canticles of joy ; the presence of the Divine Infant
fills her with joy.

OFFERTORY.

Sing joyfully to the Lord, Jubilate Deo omnis terra :

all the earth : serve ye the servite Domino in lsetitia :

Lord with gladness : present intrate in conspectu ejus in

yourselves to him with trans- exsultatione : quia Dominus

ports of joy : for the Lord is ipse est Deus.
God.

SECRET.

May the Sacrifice we have Oblatum tibi Domine Sa-

offered to thee, O Lord, crincium vivificet nos sem-

always enliven and defend per et muniat. Per Domi-

us. Through, &c. num.

Commemoration of the Epiphany.

Mercifully look down, O Ecclesige tuas, quaesumus
Lord, we beseech thee, on the Domine, dona propitius in-
offeringsof thy Church: among tuere ; quibus non jam au-
which, gold, frankincense, and rum, thus et myrrha pro-
myrrh, are no longer offered ; f ertur ; sed quod eisdem
but what was signified by those muneribus declaratur, im-
offerings, is sacrificed, and re- molatur et sumitur, Jesus
ceived, Jesus Christ, thy Son, Christus Filius tuus Domi-
our Lord. Who liveth, <kc. nus noster. Qui tecum.

Whilst distributing the Bread of Life come down
from heaven, the Church repeats the words addressed
by Mary to her Son : Why hast thou done so to us ?
I and thy father have sought thee. The Good Shep-
herd, who feeds his Sheep with his own Flesh, replies,
that he must needs do the will of his Father who is
in heaven. He is come to be our Life, our light, and
our food : he, therefore, leaves everything in order to
give himself to us. But, whilst the Doctors in the
Temple only saw and heard him, we, in this Living
Bread, possess him and are united with him in
sweetest union.

M

162

CHKISTMAS.

COMMUNION.

Fili, quid fecisti nobis
sic ? Ego et pater tuus do-
lentes quaerebamus te. Et
quid est, quod me qusereba-
tis? Nesciebatis, quia in
his, quae Patris mei sunt,
oportet me esse ]

Son, why hast thou done so
with us] I and thy father
have sought thee with sorrow.
— And why did you seek me ]
Did you not know that I must
be about the concerns of my
Father!

The holy Church, having seen her Children re-
freshed by this heavenly nourishment, prays that
they may have the grace of becoming well-pleasing
to Him, who has given them this proof of his
immense love.

POSTCOMMTTNION.

Supplices te rogamus,
omnipotens Deus : ut quos
tuis reiicis Sacramentis, tibi
etiam placitis moribus dig-
nanter deservire concedas.
Per Dominum.

Grant, we humbly beseech
thee, 0 Almighty God, that
those whom thou refreshest
with thy Sacraments, may, by
a life well-pleasing to thee,
worthily serve thee. Through,
<kc.

Commemoration of the Epiphany.

Prsesta, quaasumus, omni-
potens Deus : ut quae so-
lemni celebramus officio,
purificatae mentis intelli-
gentia consequamur. Per
Dominum.

Grant, we beseech thee, O
Almighty God, that our minds
may be so purified, as to
understand what we cele-
brate on this great solemnity.
Through, <&c.

VESPERS.

The Antiphons and Psalms are of the Epiphany,
as above, page 144. After which the Priest intones
the following Capitulum :

CAPITULUM.

(Mom. XII.)

Fratres, obsecro vos per Brethren, I beseech yOu by
misericordiam Dei, ut exhi- the mercy of God, that you

SUNDAY WITHIN OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY. 163

present your bodies a living beatis corpora vestra hos
sacrifice, holy, pleasing unto
God, your reasonable service.

tiam viventem, sanctam,
Deo placentem, rationabile
obsequium vestrum.

The Hymn Crudelis Herodes Deum, page 132.
antiphon of the Magnificat.

Ant. Son ! why hast thou
done so to us1? Behold, thy
father and I have sought thee
sorrowing. — How is it that
you sought mel Did you not
know that I must be about
my Father's business"?

LET US PEAY.

According to thy divine
mercy, O Lord, receive the
vows of thy people, who pour
forth their prayers to thee :
that they may know what
their duty requireth of them,
and be able to comply with
what they know. Through,

Ant. Fili ! quid fecisti
nobis sic1? ego et pater tuus
dolentes quasrebamus te.
Quid est quod me quaere-
batis 1 nesciebatis quia in
his quae Patris mei sunt,
oportet me esse %

OEEMUS.

Vota, quaesumus Domine,
supplicantis populi ccelesti
pietate prosequere : ut et
quae agenda sunt videant,
et ad implenda quae vide-
rint, convalescant. Per Do-
minum.

Commemoration of the Epiphany.

Ant. We celebrate a festival
adorned by three miracles :
this day, a star led the Magi
to the manger ; this day, water
was changed into wine, at
the marriage-feast ; this day,
Christ vouchsafed to be bap-
tised by John, in the Jordan,
for our salvation. Alleluia.

"ft. All they from Saba shall
come, alleluia.

I£. Bringing gold and frank-
incense, alleluia.

Ant. Tribus miraculis
ornatum diem sanctum co-
limus : hodie stella Magos
duxit ad praesepium : hodie
vinum ex aqua factum est
ad nuptias : hodie in Jor-
dane a Joanne Christus bap-
tizari voluit, ut salvaret nos.
Alleluia.

7fj . Omnes de Saba ve-
nient, alleluia.

I£. Aurum et thus defe-
rences, alleluia.

LET US PEAY.

O God, who by the direc-
tion of a star, didst this day

OEEMUS.

Deus, qui hodierna die
Unigenitum tuum Gentibus

164

CHRISTMAS.

stella duce, revelasti : con-
cede propitius, ut qui jam
te ex fide cognovimus, us-
que ad contemplandam
speciem tuse celsitudinis
perducamur. Per eumdem.

manifest thy Only Son to the
Gentiles : mercifully grant,
that we, who now know thee
by faith, may come, at length,
to see the glory of thy Majesty.
Through the same, &c.

JAN. 7. SECOND DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE. 1G5

January 7.
THE SECOND DAY

WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY.

A SOLEMNITY of such importance as the Epiphany
could not be without an Octave. The only Octaves,
during the year, that are superior to this of the
Epiphany, are those of Easter and Pentecost. It
has a privilege, which the Octave of Christmas has
not ; for no Feast can be kept during the Octave of the
Epiphany, unless it be that of a Patron of first class;
wdiereas, Feasts of a double and semi-double rite are
admitted during the Christmas Octave. It would
even seem, judging from the ancient Sacramentaries,
that, anciently, the two days immediately following
the Epiphany were Days of Obligation, as were the
Monday and Tuesday of Easter and Whitsuntide.
The names of the Stational Churches are given,
where the Clergy and Faithful of Rome assembled
on these two days.

In order that we may the more fully enter into the
spirit of the Church, during this glorious Octave, we
will contemplate, each day, the Mystery of the Voca-
tion of the Magi, and we will enter, together with
them, into the holy Cave of Bethlehem, there to
offer our gifts to the Divine Infant, to whom the
Star has led the Wise Men.

These Magi are the harbingers of the conversion
of all nations to the Lord their God ; they are the
Fathers of the Gentiles in the faith of the Redeemer
that is come; they are the Patriarchs of the

166 CHRISTMAS.

human race regenerated. They arrive at Bethlehem,
according to the tradition of the Church, three in
number ; and this tradition is handed down by St.
Leo, by St. Maximus of Turin, by St. Cesarius of
Aries, and by the christian paintings in the Cata-
combs of Rome, which paintings belong to the period
of the Persecutions.

Thus is continued in the Magi the Mystery pre-
figured by the three just men at the very commence-
ment of the world : Abel, who, by his death, was
the figure of Christ ; Seth, who was the father of
the children of God, as distinct from the family of
Cain ; and Enos, who had the honour of regulating
the ceremonies and solemnity to be observed in
man's worship of his Creator.

The Magi also continued, in their own person, that
other Mystery of the three new parents of the human
family, after the Deluge, and from whom all races
have sprung : Sem, Cham, and Japheth, the Sons of
Noe.

And, thirdly, we behold in the Magi that third
Mystery of the three fathers of God's chosen people :
Abraham, the Father of believers; Isaac, another
figure of Christ immolated ; and Jacob, who was
strong against God,1 and was the father of the
twelve Patriarchs of Israel.

All these were but the receivers of the Promise,
although the hope of mankind, both according to
nature and grace, rested on them; they, as the
Apostle says of them, saluted the accomplishment of
that Promise afar-off.2 The Nations did not follow
them, by serving the true God ; nay, the greater the
light that shone on Israel, and the greater seemed the
blindness of the Gentile- world. The three Magi, on
the contrary, come to Bethlehem, and they are
followed by countless generations. In them, the

1 Gen. xxxii. 28. 2 Heb. xi. 13.

JAN. 7. SECOND DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE. 1G7

figure becomes the grand reality, thanks to the
mercy of our Lord, who having come to find what
was lost, vouchsafed to stretch out his arms to the
whole human race, for the whole was lost.

These happy Magi were also invested with regal
power, as we shall see further on ; as such, they were
prefigured by those three faithful Kings, who were
the glory of the throne of Juda, the earnest main-
tainers among the chosen people of the traditions
regarding the future Deliverer, and the strenuous
opponents of idolatry : David, the sublime type of
the Messias ; Ezechias, whose courageous zeal de-
stroyed the idols ; and Josias, who re-established the
Law of the Lord, which the people had forgotten.

And if we would have another type of these holy
pilgrims, who come from a far distant country of the
Gentiles to adore the King of Peace, and offer him
their rich presents — the sacred Scripture puts before
us the Queen of Saba, also a Gentile, who hearing
of the fame of Solomon's wisdom, whose name means
the Peaceful, visits Jerusalem, taking with her the
most magnificent gifts — camels laden with gold,
spices, and precious stones — and venerates, under
one of the sublimest of his types, the Kingly charac-
ter of the Messias.

Thus, O Jesus ! during the long and dark night,
in which the justice of thy Father left this sinful
world, did the lightnings of grace appear in the
heavens, portending the rising of that Sun of thine
own Justice, which would dissipate the shadows of
death, and establish the reign of Light and Day.
But, now, all these shadows have passed away ; we
no longer need the imperfect light of types : it is
thyself we now possess; and though we wear not
royal crowns upon our heads, like the Magi and the
Queen of Saba, yet thou receivest us with love. The
very first to be invited to thy Crib, there to receive
thy teachings, were simple Shepherds. Every mem-

168 CHRISTMAS.

ber of the human family is called to form part of thy
co art. Having become a Child, thou hast opened
the treasures of thine infinite wisdom to all men.
What gratitude do we not owe for this gift of the
light of Faith, without which we should know nothing,
even whilst flattering ourselves that we know all
things ! How narrow, and uncertain, and deceitful,
is human science, compared with that which has its
source in thee ! May we ever prize this immense
gift of Faith, this Light, O Jesus ! which thou makest
to shine upon us, after having softened it under the
veil of thy humble Infancy. Preserve us from pride,
which darkens the soul's vision, and dries up the
heart. Confide us to the keeping of thy Blessed
Mother ; and may our love attach us for ever to thee,
and her maternal eye ever watch over us lest we
should leave thee, 0 thou the God of our hearts !

Let us now listen to the Hymns and Prayers of
the several Churches in praise of the Mysteries of
the glorious Epiphany. "We will begin with this
of Prudentius, in which he celebrates that never-
setting Star, of which the other was but a figure.

HYMN.

Quicumque Christum O ye, that are in search of

quseritis, Jesus, raise up your eyes aloft:

Oculos in altum tollite : there shall you see the sign of

Illic licebit visere his eternal glory.
Signum perennis glorise.

Haec stella, quae solis ro- This Star, which surpasseth

tarn the sun's disc in beauty and

Vincit decore, ac lumine, light, announces that God has

Venisse terris nuntiat come upon the earth clothed

Cum carne terrestri Deum. in human flesh.

Non ilia servit noctibus, It is not a Star, that is made

Secuta lunam menstruam : to serve the night, following

Sed solam ccelum possidens the monthly changes of the

Cursum dierum temperat. moon ; but it seems to preside

over the heavens and mark the
course of the day.

JAN. 7. SECOND DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE. 169

Tis true, that Polar Stars
are lights that never set ; yet
are they often hid beneath the
clouds.

But this Star is
dimmed ; this Star
extinguished ;
coming cloud
blaze of light.

never

is never

nor does a

o'ershadow her

Let comet, the harbinger of
ill, and meteors formed by
Dog-star's vapourous heat,
now fade away before this
God's own light.

Arctoa quamvis sidera
In se retortis motibus
Obire nolint ; attamen
Plerumque sub nimbis la-
tent.
Hoc sidus seternum ma-
net :
Haec stella numquam mer-

gitur :
Nee nubis occursu abdita
Obumbrat obductam facem.
Tristis cometa intercidat,
Et si quod astrum Sirio
Fervet vapore, jam Dei
Sub luce destructum cadet.

We take the three following solemn Prayers from
the Gregorian Sacramentary.

PRAYERS.

0 God, the enlightener of
all nations, give thy people to
enjoy perpetual peace, and in-
fuse into our hearts that shin-
ing light, which thou didst en-
kindle in the minds of the
three Magi.

Almighty and eternal God,
the light of faithful souls, who
hast consecrated this solem-
nity by the first-fruits of the
vocation of the Gentiles ; fill
this world with thy glory, and
manifest thyself to thy devoted
people by the brightness of thy
light.

Grant unto us, O Almighty
God, that the Saviour sent by
thee, who was made known
by a new light in the heavens,
and comes down for the sal-
vation of the world on this
day's solemnity, may arise in

Deus, illuminator om-
nium gentium, da populis
tuis perpetua pace gaudere,
et illud lumen splendidum
infunde cordibus nostris,
quod trium Magorum men-
tibus aspirasti.

Omnipotens, et sempi-
terne Deus, fidelium splen-
dor animarum, qui hanc so-
lemnitatem electionis gen-
tium primitiis consecrasti ;
imple mundum gloria tua,
et subditis tibi populis per
luminis tui appare clarita-
tem.

Concede nobis, omnipo-
tens Deus, ut Salutare tuum
nova coelorum luce mira-
bile, quod ad salutem mun-
di hodierna festivitate pro-
cessit, nostris semper inno-
vandis cordibus oriatur. Per

170

CHRISTMAS.

Christum Dominum
tram. Amen.

nos- our hearts and give them a per-
petual renovation. Through
Christ our Lord. Amen.

The following Sequence is found in the ancient
Roman-French Missals.

SEQUENCE.

Epiphaniam Domino ca-
namus gloriosam,

Qua prolem Dei vere Magi
adorant :

Immensam Chaldaei cu-
jus Persaeque venerantur
potentiam.

Quern cuncti Prophetse
cecinere venturum, gentes
ad salvandas :

Cujus Majestas ita est in-
clinata, ut assumeret servi
formarn.

Ante secula qui Deus, et
tempora, homofactus est in
Maria :

Balaam de quo vaticinans :
Exibit ex Jacob rutilans, in-
quit, stella,

Et confringet ducum ag-
minaregionisMoab, maxima
potentia.

Huic Magi munera defe-
runt praeclara : aurum, si-
mul thus et myrrham.

Thure Deum predicant,
auro Regem magnum, ho-
minem mortalem myrrha.

In somnis hos monet An-
gelus, ne redeant ad regem
commotum propter regna ;

Pavebat etenim nimium
Regem natum, verens amit-
tere regni jura.

Let us sing to the Lord the
glorious Epiphany,

Wherein the Magi adore the
true Son of God.

The Chaldeans and Persians
offer homage to his infinite
power.

All the Prophets had fore-
told that he would come to
save the nations.

His Majesty so far humbled
itself, as to assume the form
of a servant.

He that was God before all
ages and time, was made Man
in Mary's womb.

Balaam thus prophesied con-
cerning him : There shall go
forth a bright star from Jacob,

And with exceeding power
he shall break the armies of
the chiefs of Moab.

The Magi bring him rich
presents, gold, and frankin-
cense, and myrrh.

By the frankincense they
confess him to be God; by
the gold, the great King ; by
the myrrh, a mortal Man.

An Angel warns them in
their sleep, that they return
not to King Herod, who feared
to lose his kingdom,

For he was exceedingly
troubled at the birth of the
new King, and trembled lest
he should be deprived of his
throne.

JAN. 7. SECOND DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE. 171

The Magi, guided by a Star
that went before them, set out
on their journey with joy.
The Star guided them to their
own country, and Herod's
commands were not heeded.

This prince, struck to the
heart with exceeding wrath,
straightway commands that
the disobedience of the Magi
be chastised, and that they be
speedily put to death.

Now, therefore, let this as-
sembly sing its songs of praise
accompanied by the organ's
shrill sounding notes,

And offer to Christ, the
King of kings, its precious
mystic gifts,

Beseeching him that he
protect all the kingdoms of
the universe for ever and ever.
Amen.

Magi, stella sibi micante
prsevia, pergunt alacres iti-
nera, patriam quae eos du-
cebat ad propriam, linquen-
tes Herodis mandata.

Qui, percussus corde ni-
mium prse ira, extemplo
mandat eludia magica non
linqui taliter impunita, sed
mox privari eos vita.

Omnis nunc caterva tin-
nulum jungat laudibus or-
gani pneuma,

Mystice offerens Regi re-
gum Christo munera, pre-
tiosa,

Poscens ut per orbem reg-
na omnia protegat in ssecu-
la sempiterna. Amen.

St. Ephrem gives us the following beautiful Hymn
upon the Nativity of our Lord.

HYMN.

The Son being born, Beth-
lehem resounds with loud
shouts of joy. The ever wake-
ful Angels come down from
heaven, singing their hymn
with voices loud as thunder.
Men that were in still silence
ran to the cave, aroused by
the strange music ; they, too,
broke the silence with their
praises of the new-born Son of
God.

"Let us," said they, "give
"praise to the Infant, who
"has restored to Adam and
" Eve the years of their youth."
These Shepherds came bring-

Nascente Filio, altis re-
sonat clamoribus Bethle-
hem. Ccelo delapsi Vigiles
canunt vocibus tonitruum
imitantibus. Concentu ex-
citi novo convenere silen-
tes, silentium rupere lau-
des nascentis Filii Dei.

Plaudamus, aiebant, In-
fanti qui Evse, Adaeque ju-
ventutis restituit annos.
Confluxere pastores, gregum
suorum proventum portan-

172

CHRISTMAS.

tes, dulcis lactis copiam,
mundas carries, et decoram
laudern.

Distinxere munera, car-
ries Josepho, Marise lac, Fi-
lio laudem. Obtulere ag-
num lactentem paschali
Agno, primum Primo, hos-
tiam Hostise, agnum caduci
temp oris Agno veritatis
sempiternse.

Decorum sane spectacu-
lum ! agnus oblatus Agno !
balavit agnus Unigenito
prsesentatus, agnus Agno
acceptam referebat gratiam,
quod suo adventu greges et
armenta mactationi sub-
traxisset, et novum a veteri
Paschata traductum Pascha
Filii introduxisset.

Ilium adoravere pastores,
et prophetantes Pastorum
Principem salutarunt. Mo-
saica virga, aiebant, tuum,
universalis Pastor, sceptrum
commendat, quique illam
gestavit Moses te magnum
praedicat, dolens gregum
suorum mutatas formas, et
agnos in lupos transiisse,
ac oves evasisse dracones,
et ferocissimas bestias. Sci-
licet et istse in ilia horribili
solitudine passse fuerant
malum, quando furentes
rabidae in suum incubuere
Pastorem.

Divine Puer, hanc tibi
acceptam profitentur gra-
tiam pastores, quod lupos
et agnos in easdem caulas
congregaveris : Puer "Noe
antiquior, et Noe recentior,

ing with them the produce of
their flocks, abundance of
sweet milk, clean meats, and
songs of praise.

Thus did they divide the
gifts : the meats to Joseph ;
the milk to Mary ; their praise
to Jesus. They offered a lamb-
kin to the paschal Lamb, a
first-born to the First-Born, a
victim to the Victim, a mortal
lamb to the true eternal Lamb.
Fair sight indeed ! A lamb
offered to the Lamb ! The
lamb bleated, thus offered to
the Only Begotten Son of
God : it thanked him, for that
his coming would save the
flocks and herds from being
immolated, and that a new
Pasch, that of the Son of God,
would be brought in in place
of the Pasch of old.

The Shepherds adored him,
and, prophesying, saluted him
as the Prince of Shepherds.
They said : " Thy sceptre, O
universal Shepherd ! is pre-
figured by the rod of Moses ;
and Moses, who held it in
his hand, declares thy great-
ness. But he grieves over the
change that bef el his flock : he
grieves to see his lambs chang-
ed into wolves, and his sheep
transformed into dragons and
savage beasts. This evil hap-
pened to them in that terri-
ble desert, where this flock,
grown mad with rage, at-
tacked their Shepherd.
" 0 Divine Child ! the Shep-
herds give thee thanks, for
that thou hast united into
the one fold both wolves and
lambs. O Child ! that art
older and younger than Noe !

JAN. 7. SECOND DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE. 173

'twas thou didst establish
: peace among them that sailed
; in the ark on the stormy sea,
: and were enemies.

" Thy ancestor David aven-
; ged the massacre of a lamb
' by slaying the lion : but thou,
: O Son of David ! didst slay
' the invisible lion, who mur-
' dered that simple lamb, who
'fed and bleated in Eden —
' our first-parent Adam.

qui intra arcam, pelago fre-
mente, pacem dissidentibus
vectoribus sanxisti.

David proavus tuus agni
necem leonis csede vindica-
vit : tu vero, fill David, oc-
cultum peremisti lupum, a
quo interfectus fuerat Ada-
mus, agnus ille simplex, qui
in Paradiso pastus est et
balavit.

The Greek Church gives us, in honour of the
Virgin-Mother, this beautiful song of Saint Joseph
the Hymnographer.

The one only God of all,
wishing to unite the inferior
creation with the superior and
heavenly, entered the womb of
the Virgin ; and when he had
appeared in the Hkeness of the
flesh, he established peace be-
tween God and man, having
taken away the wall of enmity
that had stood between them ;
he also bestowed on us life and
divine redemption.

Thou, O most holy Mary !
didst remain a pure Virgin
after thy delivery ; for thou
didst give birth to God the
Word, made like unto us in
all, save sin.

Heal the wounds of my
heart, 0 Virgin ! and direct
the movements of my soul in
a bright and happy path, so
that I may fulfil God's will.

Hail, incomparable Mother
of Him who deigned to take
our flesh ! Hail, 0 most Im-
maculate Mary, that didst
bring the fallen world its re-

Ut inferiores superiori-
bus ac coelestibus conjun-
geret solus omnium Deus,
virginalem uterum ingres-
sus est, cumque in simili-
tudine carnis apparuisset,
intermedio immicitise pa-
riete sublato, pacem inter-
posuit, vitamque ac divi-
nam redemptionem largi-
tus est.

Virgo casta post partum
permansisti, 6 sanctissima :
Deum enim Verbum ge-
nuisti similem nobis fac-
tum sine peccato.

Sana vulnera cordis mei,
o puella, et motus animse
meae recta ac felici tramite
dirige, o Virgo, ad Dei vo-
luntatem faciendam.

Salve, o unica Genitrix
illius qui carnem emendi-
cavit. Salve collapsi mundi
erectio, o immaculatissima :
salve, moeroris dissolutio j

174

CHRISTMAS.

salve, salus fidelium ; salve,
throne Dei altissime.

Mente revolventes divine-
loqui Prophetae mysterii tui
profunditatem, o Virgo, pro-
phetice praenunciaverunt il-
lud divino Spiritu illustra-
te Nos vero cum illorum va-
ticinia opere completa nunc
laeti intueamur, credimus.

O Puella omnibus mira-
culis admirabilior ; ilium
genuisti qui est ante omnia
ssecula, nobis similem fac-
tum propter summam mi-
sericordiam suam, ut salvos
faceret eos qui canunt : Be-
nedictus es Deus Patrum
nostrorum.

Divinis verbis tuis homi-
num generationes inhseren-
tes, beatam te dicunt, o
semper beatissima, suavi-
ter concinentes : Benedicite,
omnia opera Dominum.

O Virgo bonorum ama-
trix, bonam effice animam
meam, peccati malitia de-
pravatam : tu enim bonum
Deum ac Dominum pepe-
risti.

Horrescunt Cherubim at-
que universa ccelestis natura
ob reverentiam venerandse
Prolis tuse incomprehensibi-
lis, o immaculatissima, quse
similis facta est nobis propter
ineffabilem misericordiam
suam, et secundum carnem
baptizata est, cujus divinam
Apparitionem nunc omnes
exsultantes celebramus.

surrection ! Hail, thou dis-
peller of sorrow ! Hail, thou
that givest the faithful their
Saviour ! Hail, most high
throne of God !

The divinely-speaking Pro-
phets, revolving in their minds
the depth of thy mystery, O
Virgin ! prophetically foretold
it, for they were enlightened
by the divine Spirit. We that
now joyfully behold their pro-
phecies fulfilled, we believe.

0 Virgin ! thou that art
more admirable than all mira-
cles ! thou didst give birth to
Him, who was before all ages,
and who was made like unto
us through his great mercy,
for he came that he might save
them that sing : Blessed art
thou, the God of our Fathers !

All generations of men,
keeping to thy most sacred
words, call thee Blessed, 0
most Blessed Mother ! and
sweetly sing in choral hymns :
A 11 ye works of the Lord, bless
the Lord !

0 Virgin, that lovest holy
souls ! make mine holy, for it
is depraved by the evil of sin :
make it good, for thou hast
given birth to the good God
and Lord.

The Cherubim and the whole
heavenly kingdom tremble, in
reverence, before the incom-
prehensible majesty of thy Son,
O most Immaculate Mother !
He was made like unto us,
through his ineffable mercy,
and was baptised according to
the flesh : and now do we all
exultingly celebrate his divine
Apparition.

JAN. 8. THIRD DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE. 175

January 8.
THE THIRD DAY

WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY.

The great Mystery of the Alliance of the Son of
God with the universal Church, and which is repre-
sented in the Epiphany by the Magi, was looked
forward to by the world in every age previous to the
coming of our Emmanuel. The Patriarchs and Pro-
phets had propagated the tradition ; and the Gentile
world gave frequent proofs that the tradition pre-
vailed even with them.

When Adam, in Eden, first beheld her whom God
had formed from one of his ribs, and whom he called
Eve, because she was the Mother of all the living} —
he exclaimed : " This is the bone of my bones, and
" flesh of my flesh. Man shall leave father and mo-
" ther, and shall cleave to his wife ; and they shall be
" two in one flesh."2 In uttering these words, the
soul of our first Parent was enlightened by the Holy
Spirit, and, as we are told by the most profound
interpreters of the Sacred Scriptures, (such as Ter-
tullian, St. Augustine, St. Jerome, &c.,) he foretold
the Alliance of the Son of God with his Church,
which issued from his Side, when opened by the spear,
on the Cross ; for the love of which Spouse, he left
the right hand of his Father, and the heavenly Jeru-
salem, his mother, that he might dwell with us, in
this our earthly abode.

1 Gen. iii. 20. 2 Ibid. ii. 23, 24.

176 CHRISTMAS.

The second father of the human race, Noe — after
he had seen the Rainbow in the heavens, announcing
that now God's anger was appeased — prophesied to
his three Sons their own respective future, and, in
theirs, that of the world. Cham had drawn upon him-
self his father's curse ; Sem seemed to be the favoured
son — for from his race, there should come the Saviour
of the world ; but, the Patriarch immediately adds :
" May God enlarge Japheth, and may he dwell in the
"tents of Sem."1 In the course of time, the ancient
alliance, that had been made between God and the
people of Israel, was broken; the Semitic race fluc-
tuated in its religion, and finally fell into infidelity ;
and, at length, God adopts the family of Japheth, that
is, the Gentiles of the west, as his own people; for
ages, they had been without God, and now the very
Seat of religion is established in their midst, and
they are put at the head of the whole human race.

Later on, it is the great God himself that speaks
to Abraham, promising him that he shall be the
father of a countless family. " I will bless thee," says
the Lord, " and I will multiply thy seed as the stars
" of heaven."2 As the Apostle tells us, more numerous
was to be the family of Abraham according to the
faith, than that which should be born to him of Sara.
All they that have received the faith of a Mediator
to come, and all they that, being warned by the Star,
have come to Jesus as their God — all are the children
Abraham.

The Mystery is again expressed in Rebecca, the
wife of Isaac. She feels that there are two children
struggling within her womb ;3 and this is the answer
she receives from God, when she consulted him :
" Two nations are in thy womb, and two peoples shall
"be divided out of thy womb ; and one people shall
" overcome the other, and the elder shall serve the

1 Gen. ix. 27. 2 Ibid. xxii. 17. 3 Ibid. xxv. 22.

JAN. 8. THIRD DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE. 177

" younger."1 Now, who is this " younger " child that
overcomes the elder, but the Gentiles, who struggle
with Juda for the light, and who, though but the child
of the promise, supplants him who was son according
to the flesh ? Such is the teaching of St. Leo and
St. Augustine.

Next, it is Jacob, who, when dying, calls his twelve
sons, the fathers of the twelve tribes of Israel, around
his bed, and prophetically assigns to each of them
the career they were to run. Juda is put before the
rest; he is to be the King of his brethren, and from
his royal race shall come the Messias. But the pro-
phecy concludes with the prediction of Israel's humi-
liation, which humiliation is to be the glory of the
rest of the human race. " The sceptre shall not be
" taken away from Juda, nor a Ruler from his thigh,
" till He come that is to be sent, and he shall be the
"Expectation of the Nations."2

When Israel had gone out of Egypt, and was in
possession of the Promised Land, Balaam cried oat,
setting his face towards the desert, where Israel was
encamped : " I shall see him, but not now ; I shall
" behold him, but not near. A Star shall rise out of
" Jacob, and a sceptre shall spring up from Israel.
"* * Who shall live when God shall do these
" things ? They shall come in galleys from Italy ;
" they shall overcome the Assyrians, and shall waste
" the Hebrews, and, at the last, they themselves also
"shall perish."3 And what kingdom shall succeed
this ? The kingdom of Christ, who is the Star, and
the King that shall rule for ever.

David has this great day continually before his
mind. He is for ever celebrating, in his Psalms, the
Kingship of his Son according to the flesh : he shows
him to us as bearing the Sceptre, girt with the
Sword, anointed by God his Father, and extending

1 Gen. xxv. 23. 2 Ibid. xlix. 10. 3 Num. xxiv, 17, 23, 24.

N

178 CHRISTMAS.

his kingdom from sea to sea : he tells us, how the
Kings of Tharsis and the Islands, the Kings of the
Arabians and of Saba, and the Princes of Ethiopia,
shall prostrate at his feet and adore him : he men-
tions their gifts of gold.1

In his mysterious Canticle of Canticles, Solomon
describes the joy of the spiritual union between the
divine Spouse and his Church, and that Church is
not the Synagogue. Christ invites her, in words of
tenderest love, to come and be crowned ; and she, to
whom he addresses these words, is dwelling beyond
the confines of the land where lives the people of
God. " Come from Libanus, my Spouse, come from
" Libanus, come ! Thou shalt be crowned from the
" top of Am ana, from the top of Sanir and Hermon,
" from the dens of the lions, from the mountains of
" the leopards."2 This daughter of Pharaoh confesses
her unworthiness : I am black, she says ; but, she
immediately adds, that she has been made beautiful
by the grace of her Spouse.3

The Prophet Osee follows with his inspired pre-
diction : "And it shall be in that day, saith the Lord,
" that she shall call me, My Husband, and she shall
" call me no more Baali. And I will take away the
" names of Baalim out of her mouth, and she shall
" no more remember their name. * * And I will
" espouse thee to me for ever. * * And I will
" sow her unto me in the earth, and I will have
" mercy on her, that was without mercy. And I
" will say to that, which was not my people : Thou
" art my people ; and they shall say : Thou art my
"God."*

The elder Tobias, whilst captive in Babylon, pro-
phesies the same alliance. The Jerusalem, which
was to receive the Jews, after their deliverance by

1 Ps. lxxi. 3 Cant. i. 4.

2 Cant, iv. 8. 4 Osee, ii. 16, et seqq.

JAN. 8. THIKD DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE. 179

Cyrus, is not the City of which he speaks in such
glowing terms ; it is a new and richer and lovelier
Jerusalem. " Jerusalem ! City of God ! bless the
" God eternal, that he may rebuild his tabernacle in
" thee, and may call back all the Captives to thee.
" Thou shalt shine with a glorious light. Nations
" from afar shall come to thee, and shall bring gifts,
" and shall esteem thy land as holy. For they shall
" call upon the great Name in thee. * * All that
" fear God shall return thither. And the Gentiles
" shall leave their idols, and shall come into Jeru-
" salem, and shall dwell in it. And all the kings of
"the earth shall rejoice in it, adoring the King of
" Israel."1

It is true, the Gentiles shall be severely chastised
by God, on account of their crimes ; but, that justice
is for no other end, than to prepare those very
Gentiles for an eternal alliance with the great
Jehovah. He thus speaks, by his Prophet Sophonias :
" My judgment is to assemble the Gentiles, and to
" gather the kingdoms : and to pour upon them my
" indignation, all my fierce anger : for, with the fire
"of my jealousy shall all the earth be devoured.
" Because, then I will restore to the people a chosen
" lip, that all may call upon the name of the Lord,
" and may serve him with one shoulder. From
" beyond the rivers of Ethiopia shall my suppliants,
" the children of my dispersed people, bring me an
" offering."2

He promises the same mercy by his Prophet
Ezechiel : " One King shall be over all, and they shall
"no more be two nations, neither shall they be
" divided any more into two kingdoms. Nor shall
" they be defiled any more with their idols : and I
" will save them out of all the places in which they
" have sinned. And they shall be my people, and I

1 Tob. xiii. & xiv. 2 Soph. iii. 8, 9, 10.

180 CHRISTMAS.

" will be their God. And they shall have One Shep-
" herd. And I will make a covenant of peace with
" them ; it shall be an everlasting covenant with
" them : and I will establish them, and will multiply
" them, and will set my Sanctuary in the midst of
" them for ever."1

After the Prophet Daniel has described the three
great Kingdoms, which were successively to pass
away, he says there shall be a Kingdom, "which is
" an everlasting Kingdom, and all kings shall serve
"him, (the King,) and shall obey him." He had pre-
viously said : " The power " (that was to be given to
the Son of man) " is an everlasting power, that shall
" not be taken away ; and his Kingdom shall not be
" destroyed."2

Aggeus thus foretells the great events which were
to happen before the coming of the One Shepherd,
and the establishment of that everlasting Sanctuary,
which was to be set up in the very midst of the
Gentiles : " Yet one little while, and I will move the
" heaven, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry
" land. And I will move all Nations, and the De-
" sired of all Nations shall come."3

But, we should have to cite all the Prophets, in
order to describe, in all its grandeur, the glorious
spectacle promised by God to the world, when,
being mindful of the Gentiles, he should lead them
to the feet of Jesus. The Church has quoted the
Prophet Isaias in the Epistle of the Feast, and no
Prophet is so explicit and so sublime as this son of
Amos.

The expression of the same universal expectation
and desire is found also among the Gentiles. The
Sibyls kept up the hope in the heart of the people ;
and in Rome itself, we find the Poet Virgil repeat-
ing, in one of his poems, the oracles they had pro-

1 Ezechiel, xxxvii. 22 & seqq. 2 Dan. vii. 27. 3 Agg. ii. 7, 8.

JAN. 8. THIRD DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE. 181

nounced. " The last age," says he, " foretold by the
" Cumean Sibyl, is at hand : a new and glorious era
" is coming : a new race is being sent down to earth
" from heaven. At the birth of this Child, the iron
" age will cease, and one of gold will rise upon the
" whole world. * * No remnants of our crimes will
" be left, and their removal will free the earth from
" its never-ending fear."1

If we are unwilling to accept, as did St. Augustine
and so many other holy Fathers, these Sibylline
oracles as the expression of the ancient traditions —
we have pagan philosophers and historians, such as
Cicero, Tacitus, and Suetonius, testifying, that, in
their times, the world was in expectation of a De-
liverer ; that this Deliverer would come, not only from
the East, but from Judea ; and that a Kingdom was
on the point of being established, which would in-
clude the entire world.

O Jesus, our Emmanuel ! this universal expecta-
tion was that of the holy Magi, to whom thou didst
send the Star. No sooner do they receive the signal
of thy having come, than they set out in search of
thee, asking — where is He born, that is King of the
Jews ? The oracles of thy Prophets were verified
in them ; but, if they received the first-fruits of the
great promise, we possess it in all its fulness. The
Alliance is made ; and our souls, for love of which
thou didst come down from heaven, are thine. The
Church is come forth from thy divine side, with the
Blood and Water ; and all that thou dost for this thy
chosen Spouse, thou accomplishest in each of her
faithful children. We are the sons of Japheth, and
we have supplanted the race of Sem, which refused
us the entrance of its tents ; the birth-right, which
belonged to Juda, has been transferred to us. Each
age, do our numbers increase, for we are to become

1 Eclog. iv.

182 CHRISTMAS.

numerous as the stars of heaven. We are no longer
in the anxious period of expectation ; the Star has
risen, and the Kingdom it predicted will now for ever
protect and bless us. The Kings of Tharsis and the
Islands, the Kings of Arabia and Saba, the Princes of
Ethiopia, are come, bringing their gifts with them ;
all generations have followed them. The Spouse has
received all her honours, and has long since for-
gotten Amana, and Sanir, and Hermon, where she
once dwelt in the midst of wild beasts ; she is not
black, she is beautiful, with neither spot nor wrinkle
upon her, but in every way is worthy of her divine
Lord. Baal is forgotten for ever, and she lovingly
speaks the language given her by her God. The One
Shepherd feeds the one flock. The last Kingdom,
the Kingdom which is to continue for ever, is faith-
fully fulfilling its glorious destiny.

It is thou, 0 Divine Infant ! that bringest us all
these graces, and receivest all this devoted homage
of thy creatures. The time will soon come, dear
Jesus ! when thou wilt break the silence thou hast
imposed on thyself in order that thou mightest teach
us humility — thou wilt speak to us, as our Master.
Caesar Augustus has long ruled over Pagan Rome,
and she thinks herself the kingdom that is to have no
end ; but she and her Rulers must yield to the Eter-
nal King and his eternal City : the throne of earthly
power must now give place for the Throne of chris-
tian charity, and a new Rome is to spring up, grander
than the first. The Gentiles are looking for thee,
their King ; but the day will come, when they will
have no need to seek thee, but thou, in thy mercy,
wilt go in search of them, by sending them apostles
and missioners, who will preach thy Gospel to them.
Show thyself to them, as He to whom all power has
been given in heaven and on earth ; and show them
also Her, whom thou hast made to be Queen of the
universe. May this august Mother of thine be

JAN. 8. THIRD DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE. 183

raised up from the poor Stable of Bethlehem, and
from the humble dwelling of Nazareth, and be taken,
on the wings of Angels, to that throne of mercy
which thou hast made for her, and from which she
will bless all peoples and generations with her loving
protection.

We will now borrow some of those Canticles,
wherewith the several Churches were formerly wont
to celebrate the Epiphany. Prudentius, the Prince of
our Latin Liturgical Poets, thus sings the
journey to Bethlehem.

Magi's

HYMN.

Lo ! in the heart of Persia's
world, where opens first the
gate unto the rising sun, the
Magi, most wise interpreters,
perceive the standard of the
King.

It shone, and the other stars
of heaven put out their lights:
not even would lovely Day-
Star show his face.

"Who?" say they, "is this
great King, who commands
the stars'? at whose presence
the heavens tremble, and light
and air do his bidding ]

" The sign we see tells us of
" that great Being, who is eter-
" nal and infinite — the most
" high, exalted, boundless One,
"who existed before heaven
" and earth were made.

" This is he that is King of
" the Gentiles, and King of the
" Jews : he was promised to
" our Father Abraham, and to
" his seed for ever.

"For Abraham, the first
" parent of believers, and the

En Persici ex orbis sinu,
Sol unde sumit januam,
Cernunt periti interpretes
Regale vexillum Magi.

Quod ut refulsit, caeteri
Cessere signorum globi :
JSTec pulcher est ausus suam
Conferre formam Lucifer.
Quis iste tantus, inqui-

unt,
Regnator, astris imperans ;
Quern sic tremunt ccelestia,
Cui lux, et aethra inser-

viunt 1
Illustre quiddam cerni-

mus,
Quod riesciat finem pati :
Sublime, celsum, intermi-

num,
Antiquius ccelo, et chao.

Hie ille Rex est Gentium
Populique Rex Judaici,
Promissus Abrahse Patri,
Ej usque in sevum semini.

iEquanda nam stellis sua
Cognovit olim germina

184

CHRISTMAS.

Primus sator credenthim,
Nati immolator unici.

Jam flos subit Davidicus,
Radice Jesse editus :
Sceptrique per virgam vi-

rens,
Rerum cacumen occupat.

Exin sequuntur perciti
Fixis in altum vultibus,
Qua stella sulcum traxerat,
Claramque signabat viam.

Sed verticem pueri supra
Signum pependit imminens,
Pronaque submissum face
Caput sacratum prodidit.

Videre quod postquam
Magi,
Eoa promunt munera,
Stratique votis offerunt
Thus, myrrham, et aurum
regium.

Agnosce clara insignia
Virtutis, ac regni tui,
Puer o, cui trinam Pater
Praedestinavit indolem.

Regem, Deumque annun-
tiant
Thesaurus et fragrans odor
Thuris Sabaei : ac myrrheus
Pulvis sepulcrum praedocet.

Hoc est sepulcrum, quo
Deus,
Dum corpus exstingui sinit,
Atque id sepulcrum susci-

tat,
Mortis refregit carcerem.

" sacrificer of his only Son, was
" told that his race should be-
" come numerous as the stars
"of heaven.

" At length the Flower of
"David is come, springing
" from Jesse's root : blooming
" by his sceptre's rod, he now
"rules over the universe."

Then quickly do they follow,
with their gaze fixed aloft,
and the Star sails through the
air, pointing the bright path
to be pursued.

But when the Star had
reached the point direct above
the Child's head, it hovered
there : then stooping down its
torch, it showed the sacred
face they sought.

The Magi looked upon the
Babe, then opening their east-
ern treasures, prostrate, and
offer him the votive homage of
incense, myrrh, and kingly
gold.

These, dear Babe, are the
rich tokens of thy power and
kingdom, for they mark the
triple character, which thy
Father would have us recog-
nise.

The Gold proclaims him
King; the sweet-smelling Saba
Incense declares him to be
God ; and the Myrrh signifies
that he is Man, for it is the
symbol of his future tomb ;

That Tomb, whereby God
broke open the prison of
Death, after he had permitted
his sacred Body to suffer death,
and the Tomb had raised it
up again to life.

We find in the Sacramentary of the ancient Galli-
can Church the following beautiful prayer.

JAN. 8. THIRD DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE. 185

PEAYEE.

O God, who, in all thy
works, art rich in mercy !
Father of glory ! who didst
set thy Son as a light to the
Gentiles, that he might preach
redemption to captives, and
give sight to the blind; 0 thou
that art through Christ plen-
teous in thy mercy ! grant us
the remission of our sins, and
fellowship through faith with
the Saints. Through the same
Christ our Lord. Amen.

Deus qui dives es in om-
nibus misericordia, Pater
glorias, qui posuisti Filium
tuum lumen in nationibus,
prsedicare captivis redemp-
tionem, caecis visum, remis-
sionem peccatorum, et sor-
tem inter sanctos per fidem,
qui es in Christo largus
miserator indulge. Per
eumdem Christum Domi-
num nostrum. Amen.

Let us celebrate the mystery of the Birth of Jesus
and his alliance with mankind, by this Sequence
taken from the ancient Roman-French Missals.

SEQUENCE.

Lo ! the year has brought
us once again the much loved
Feasts.

Let our voices unite in the
hymns of the Angels.

On this day, Christ, as a
Bridegroom, came from his
Mother's womb.

He hath rejoiced to run, as
a giant, the way of this our
life.

The Angelic host make
earth re-echo with their song :
Glory in the highest !

Peace on earth to men of
good will !

Now begins the most glo-
rious of the eras of time ; now,
too, has come that truthful
last age of the Cumean Sibyl's
song.

Let the Virgin come, bring-
ing new times to the world.

Ecce jam votiva festa re-
currunt annua.

Addat se vox nostra ad
Angelorum carmina.

Christus hac ut sponsus
materna die processit clau-
sula.

Exsultans ut gigas ad hu-
jus vitae currendas semitas.

Angelica gloriam reboant
in excelsis agmina.

Pax in terra homines te-
neat, cum benevolentia.

Jam se replicat saeculi se-
ries maxima : venit etiam
vatis Cumaeae veridica jam
aetas carminis ultima.

Virgo remeat saecla reve-
hens altera : adsunt tern-

186

CHEISTMAS.

The day is at hand for the iron
age to cease, and the golden
one to spring up on the earth.

The bright sun begins to
lengthen out our days and
months.

Balaam's Star wakens up
the Magi, and puts to flight
the night's dark gloom.

Christ is born : — all the pro-
phecies are fulfilled, which were
fore-spoken by the two people,
the Gentiles and the Jews.

The vestiges of crime, both
new and old, are now all
wiped away and destroyed.

0 wonderful and unheard-
of Mother ! A Virgin faith-
fully believes, and the Fruit is
in her womb.

The gate, which was ever
closed, is opened to the Lord,

When he, the great God,
assumed the nature of man.

Grant us, 0 Jesus ! ever to
hold fast these wondrous gifts,
which thou hast bestowed
upon us. Amen.

The sublime Poet of the Syrian Church, St.
Ephrem, thus sings the sweet mysteries of the Birth
of Jesus.

pora quo gens ferrea jam
desinat, et mundo pullulet
aurea.

Adauctas solis jubar die
pluscula menses producere
inchoat.

Nocturnas stella fugat,
Magos excitat, Balaamitica
tenebras.

Impleta, quae praedixerat
plebs utraque, et Gentilitas
et Hebraea, oracula, Christo
nascente, sunt omnia.

Sunt cuncta jam nunc sce-
lerum recidiva et recentia et
antiqua vestigia, quaeque re-
manserant irrita.

O mira atque nova geni-
tura ! fit gravida Virgo fide-
liter credula.

Et porta, quae fuerat sem-
per clausa, est reserata,

Naturam dum hominis
induit Deitas.

Conserva haec, quaesumus,
Christe nobis munera tanta,
a te praerogata. Amen.

HYMN".

Venere agrorum cultores,
et vitae sospitatorem suae
venerati sunt, laetique talia
prophetabant : Ave, desig-
natus nostrorum cultor
agrorum, tu cordium nos-
trorum arva coles, et fru-
menta inde collecta in hor-
reum vitae congregabis.

There came the husband-
men of Bethlehem, and they
paid homage to Him who was
the protector of their life, and
thus, in their joy, did they
prophesy : " Hail ! thou the
" appointed cultivator of our
" lands ! Thou shalt till the
" soil of our hearts, and thou
" shalt put into the garner-
" house of life the harvests
" they yield."

JAN. 8. THIED DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE. 187

The vine-dressers came next.
They spoke the praises of the
Vine grown from the root and
branch of Jesse, that bore,
from its venerable stock, the
virginal Fruit. " We beseech
" thee," said they, " reform us
"into vessels worthy of thy
" new Wine, which maketh all
" things new. Restore thy
" vineyard to its former state.
" Hitherto, it has produced
" nought but wild grapes. In-
" graft thine own scions on
" our vines."

Then, because Joseph was a
Carpenter, Carpenters ap-
proach to this his Son. " We
" greet thy happy birth," say
they — "we hail thee as our
" Prince, for thou it was didst
" plan the Ark of Noe. Thou
"wast Architect of that ta-
" bernacle so soon built, and
" to last but for a time. Our
" works praise thee. We be-
" seech thee, be thou our
" glory, and make for us that
" yoke of thine, which we in-
"tend to carry — for it is a
" light yoke, and a sweet bur-
den."

A like instinct brought the
newly married to the new-
born Babe : they saluted him,
and said : " Hail, Child !
" whose Mother is the Spouse
" of the Holy One ! 0 blessed
"nuptials those, where thou
" art to be present ! 0 blessed
" Spouses they, who shall see
"the Wine, that had failed,
" flow out abundantly at thy
" bidding !"

Little Children, too, cried
out : " 0 happy we, to whom
"it has been given to have

Secuti sunt vinitores, vi-
neamque laudarunt ex ra-
dice ramisque Jesse propa-
gatam, quae virginem bo-
trum ex veneranda vite pro-
tulit, nos, quseso, refingito
in vasa digna vino tuo novo
innovante omnia ; statum
vinese tuse restitue, quseso ;
nil ilia prseter siliquas hu-
cusque protulit ; tuos jam
insere vitibus surculos.

Ad filium Joseph propter
Joseph venere fabri. Bea-
tum natalem tuum augura-
mur, aiebant, artificum Prin-
ceps, qui Noeticam arcam
delineasti ; atque taberna-
culum architectatus es illud
extemporaneum, et ad tem-
pus duraturum ; nostra te
laudant opificia : esto, pre-
camur, tu gloria nostra, ju-
gum f abricare, futurum ges-
taturi, leve et suave onus.

Simili instinctu saluta-
vere natum infantem novi
conjuges, ut dicerent : Salve
puer, cujus mater sponsa
Sancti facta est. Beatas nup-
tias, quibus inter futurus es,
beatos sponsos, quibus, cum
vinum defuerit, tuo repente
nutu, illud affluere cement.

Clamavere simul parvuli :
0 nos beatos, quibus con-
tigit habere te fratrem, et

188

CHRISTMAS.

in foris sodalem : felicem
diem, felices pueros, quibus
continget laudare te arbo-
rem vitse, qui celsitudinem
tuam ad nostram aetatulam
demisisti.

Rumor pervaserat aures
feminarum, fore ut virgo
aliquando pareret ; injecta
est cuilibet illarum hujus-
modi partus spes ; speravere
nobiles, speravere formosse
tuas se fore matres. Tibi,
Altissime, benedicimus,
quod pauperem matrem ele-
geris.

Prophetavere etiam puel-
lse, quibus obtigit ad ilium
deferri, dicentes : Seu de-
f ormis sim, seu f ormosa sim,
seu humilis sim, tibi ero,
adhaerebo tibi : mortales
thalami tuo numquam milii
erunt potiores.

" Thee for our Brother and our
" Companion ! Happy day !
" and happy children who, on
" that day, shall be permitted
"to praise Thee, the tree of
" life, who hast humbled thy
"immensity to the littleness
" of our infant age !"

The report of the prophecy,
that a Virgin would, one day,
bring forth a Child, came to
the women's ears ; and each
one hoped that this privilege
would fall to their lot. " No-
"ble women, and beautiful
"women, hoped that they
" might be thy mother. We
" bless thee, 0 Most High God,
" that thou chose for thy Mo-
" ther one that was poor."

Young Maidens, too, were
presented to Jesus, and they
prophesied, saying : " I may
"be uncomely, or I may be
" beautiful, or I may be poor —
"but, thine will I be, and to
" thee will I cling. I will pre-
" fer espousals with thee to
" those I could contract with
" mortal man."

Let us, in honour of the Blessed Mother, sing this
sweet Hymn used by some Churches in the Middle

Ages.

SEQUENCE.

Verbum bonum et suave,
Person emus illud Ave
Per quod Christi fit conclave
"Virgo, mater, filia.

Per quod Ave salutata
Mox concepit fcecundata

Let us sing that word, so
good and sweet : Ave — Hail !
It was by that salutation, that
the Virgin was made the sanc-
tuary of Christ — the Virgin,
who was both his Mother and
his Child.

Greeted by that Hail, the
Virgin, born of the family of

JAN. 8. THIKD DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE. 189

David, conceived the Divine
Fruit in her womb — She that
was the Lily amidst the
thorns.

Hail! thou Mother of the
true Solomon, thou Fleece of
Gedeon ! The Magi, by their
three gifts, praise thy deli-
very.

Hail I thou hast given birth
to the Sun ! Hail ! thou hast
given us to see the Sun, and
thereby hast restored life and
power to this fallen world.

Hail! thou Spouse of the
Divine Word ! Haven of the
sea ! Burning Bush ! Cloud
of sweet aromatic spices !
Queen of Angels !

We beseech thee, convert
us ; and commend us, so con-
verted, to thy Son, that he
bestow upon us the eternal
joys of heaven. Amen.

Virgo David stirpe nata,
Inter spinas lilia.

Ave, veri Salomonis
Mater, vellus Gedeonis,
Cujus Magis tribus donis
Laudant puerperium.

Ave, solem genuisti ;
Ave, solem protulisti,
Mundo lapso contulisti
Vitam et imperium.

Ave, sponsa Verbi summi,
Maris portus, signum dumi,
Aromatum virga fumi,
Angelorum Domina.

Supplicamus : nos emen-
da,
Emendatos nos commenda
Tuo Nato, ad habenda
Sempiterna gaudia. Amen.

190 CHEISTMAS.

January 9.
THE FOURTH DAY

WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY.

The Star foretold by Balaam having risen in the
East, the three Magi, whose hearts were full of the
expectation of the promised Redeemer, are immedi-
ately inflamed with the desire of going in search of
him. The announcement of the glad coming of the
King of the Jews is made to these holy Kings in a
mysterious and silent manner ; and hereby it differs
from that made to the Shepherds of Bethlehem, who
were invited to Jesus' Crib by the voice of an Angel.
But the mute language of the Star was explained to
them by God himself, for he revealed his Son to them ;
and this made their Vocation superior in dignity to
that of the Jewish Shepherds, who, according to the
dispensation of the Old Law, could know nothing save
by the ministry of Angels.

The divine grace, which spoke, directly and by
itself, to the souls of the Magi, met with a faithful
and unhesitating correspondence. St. Luke says of
the Shepherds, that they came with haste to Bethle-
hem i1 and the Magi show their simple and fervent
eagerness by the words they addressed to Herod :
We have seen his Star in the East, they say, and ive
are come to adore him?

When Abraham received the command from God
to go out of the land of Chaldea, which was the land

1 St. Luke, ii. 16. 2 St. Matth. ii. 2.

JAN. 9. FOTJKTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE. 191

of his fathers and kindred, and go into a strange
country, he obeyed with such faithful promptitude, as
to merit the being made the Father of all them that
believe .-1 so, likewise, the Magi, by reason of their
equally docile and admirable faith, have been judged
worthy to be called the Fathers of the Gentile
Church.

They, too, or at least one or more of them, went
out from Chaldea, if we are to believe St. Justin and
Tertullian. Several of the Fathers, among whom
are the two just mentioned, assert that one, if not
two, of these holy Kings was from Arabia. A
popular tradition, now for centuries admitted into
christian Art, tells us that one of the three was from
Ethiopia ; and certainly, as regards this last opinion,
we have David and other Prophets telling us that
the coloured inhabitants of the banks of the Nile
were to be objects of God's special mercy.

The term Magi implies that they gave themselves
to the study of the heavenly bodies, and that, too,
for the special intention of finding that glorious
Star, whose rising had been prophesied. They were
of the number of those Gentiles who, like the
centurion Cornelius, feared God, had not been defiled
by the worship of idols, and maintained, in spite of
all the ignorance which surrounded them, the sacred
traditions of the religion that was practised by
Abraham and the Patriarchs.

The Gospel does not say that they were Kings;
but the Church applies to them those verses of the
Psalm, where David speaks of the Kings of Arabia
and Saba, that should hereafter come to the Messias,
bringing their offerings of gold. The tradition of
their being Kings rests on the testimony of St.
Hilary of Poitiers, of St. Jerome, of the Poet Juven-
cus, of St. Leo, and several others ; and it would be

1 Rom. iv. 11.

192 CHRISTMAS.

impossible to controvert it by any well-grounded
arguments. Of course, we are not to suppose them
to have been Monarchs, whose kingdoms were as great
as those of the Roman Empire ; but we know, that the
Scripture frequently applies this name of King to
petty princes, and even to mere governors of provinces.
The Magi, therefore, would be called Kings, if they
exercised authority over a considerable number of
people; and, that they were persons of great impor-
tance, we have a strong proof in the consideration
and attention showed them by Herod, into whose
palace they enter, telling him that they are come to
pay their homage to the new-born King of the Jews.
The city of Jerusalem is thrown into a state of
excitement by their arrival, which would scarce have
occurred had not the three strangers, who came for
a purpose which few heeded, been attended by a
numerous retinue, or had not attracted attention by
their imposing appearance.

These Kings, then, docile to the divine inspiration,
suddenly leave their country, their riches, their
quiet, in order to follow a Star : the power of that
God, who had called them, unites them in the same
path, as they were, already, one in faith. The Star
goes on before them, marking out the route they
were to follow : the dangers of such a journey, the
fatigues of a pilgrimage which might last for weeks
or months, the fear of awakening suspicions in the
Roman Empire towards which they wrere evidently
tending — all this was nothing to them ; they were
told to go, and they went.

Their first stay is at Jerusalem, for the Star halts
there. They, Gentiles, come into this Holy City,
(which is soon to have God's curse upon it,) and they
come to announce that Jesus Christ is come ! With
all the simple courage, and all the calm conviction,
of Apostles and Martyrs, they declare their firm re-
solution of going to him, and of adoring him. Their

JAN. 9. FOUKTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE. 193

earnest inquiries constrain Israel, who was the guar-
dian of the divine prophecies, to confess one of the
chief marks of the Messias — his Birth in Bethlehem.
The Jewish Priesthood fulfils, though with a sinful
ignorance, its sacred ministry, and Herod sits rest-
lessly on his throne, plotting murder. The Magi
leave the faithless City, which has turned the
presence of the Magi into a mark of its own repro-
bation. The Star re-appears in the heavens, and
invites them to resume their journey. Yet a few
hours, and they will be at Bethlehem, at the feet of
the King they are in search of.

O dear Jesus ! we, also, are following thee ; we
are walking in thy light, for thou hast said, in the
Prophecy of thy beloved Disciple : / am the bright
and morning Star.1 The meteor that guides the
Magi is but thy symbol, O divine Star ! Thou art
the morning Star; for thy Birth proclaims that the
darkness of error and sin is at an end. Thou art
the morning Star; for, after submitting to death and
the tomb, thou wilt suddenly arise from that night
of humiliation to the bright morning of thy glorious
Resurrection. Thou art the morning Star; for, by
the Birth and the Mysteries which are to follow,
thou announcest unto us the cloudless day of eter-
nity. May thy light ever beam upon us ! May we,
like the Magi, be obedient to its guidance, and ready
to leave all things in order to follow it ! We were
sitting in darkness when thou didst call us to thy
grace, by making this thy light shine upon us. We
were fond of our darkness, and thou gavest us a love
for the Light ! Dear Jesus ! keep up this love within
us. Let not sin, which is darkness, ever approach
us. Preserve us from the delusion of a false con-
science. Avert from us that blindness into which
fell the city of Jerusalem and her king, and which

1 Apoc. xxii. 16.
(2) O

194

CHRISTMAS.

prevented them from seeing the Star. May thy Star
guide us through life, and bring us to thee, our King,
our Peace, our Love !

We salute thee, too, 0 Mary, thou Star of the Sea,
that shinest on the waters of this life, giving calm
and protection to thy tempest- tossed children who
invoke thee ! Thou didst pray for the Magi as they
traversed the desert ; guide also our steps, and bring
us to Him who is thy Child and thy Light eternal.

Let us close this day with the expressions of
divine praise offered us by the ancient Liturgies.
Let us begin with the continuation of the Hymn of
Prudentius, on the vocation of the Gentiles. The
following are the concluding stanzas.

HYMN.

O sola magnarum urbiuni
Major Bethlein : cui con-

tigit
Ducem salutis coelitus
Incorporation gignere.

Altrice te, summo Patri
Hseres creatur unicus,
Homo ex Tonantis Spiritu,
Idemque sub menibris Deus.

Hunc et Prophetis testi-
bus,
Iisdemque signatoribus,
Testator, et Sator jubet
Adire regnum, et cernere.

Regnum, quod ambit om-
nia,
Dia, et marina, et terrea,
A sohs ortu ad exitum,
Et tartara, et coelum supra.

0 Bethlehem ! greater than
the greatest of cities ! 'Twas
thy happy lot to give birth to
the Prince of our salvation,
who had become incarnate by
the heavenly mystery.

;Twas thou didst nurse Him
who is the Only Begotten Son
and Heir of the eternal Father ;
he was made Man by the power
of the Spirit of the God who
darts the thunder-bolts; and
this same Jesus is God under
human flesh.

His eternal Father, who
bears witness to him, bids him
enter on his kingdom, and in-
herit it. The Prophets, who
are his witnesses and vouchers,
were the proclaimers of the
Father's will.

This kingdom of Jesus in-
cludes all things — the firma-
ment, the sea, the earth, from
where the sun rises to where
he sets, and hell, and heaven.

JAN. 9. FOTJKTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE. 195

He is the King of those an-
cient judges, who ruled the
race of Jacob : he is the King
of the Church, (the Mistress of
the earth) : he is King of both
temples, the new and old.

The children of Ephraim
and the holy family of Ma-
nasses worship him ; the tribes
of the twelve Brethren, sons of
Jacob, also receive him as
their God.

The degenerate race, too,
which, observing the rites of
idolatrous worship, had framed
in hot furnaces the statue of
the cruel Baal,

Now turns to worship Christ,
leaving for his sake the smoke-
grimed gods of their fathers,
stones, and metals, and stocks,
planed, hewn, and chiselled by
the hands of man.

Rejoice, all ye nations of the
earth ! Judea, Rome, and
Greece, Egypt, Thrace, Persia,
Scythia ! Ye are now all
under the one same King !

Praise your King, O all ye
people ! just and sinners,
living, weak, and dead, give
him praise. None must die
henceforth !

Hie Rex priorum judi-

cum,
Rexere qui Jacob genus,
Domingeque Rex ecclesise,
Templi et novelli, et pris-

tini.
Hunc posteri, Ephraim

colunt,
Hunc sancta Manasse do-

mus,
Omnesque suscipiunt tri-

bus,
Bissena fratrum semina.

Quin et propago degener,
Ritum secuta inconditum,
Qusecumque dirum ferviclis
Baal caminis coxerat :

Fumosa avorum numina,
Saxum, metallum, stipitem,
Rasum, dolatum, sectile,
In Christi honorem. deserit.

Gaudete quidquid gen-
tium est,
Judse, Roma, et Grascia,
iEgypte, Thrax, Persa, Scy-

tha,
Rex unus omnes possidet.
Laudate vestrum Princi-
pem,
Omnes, beati, ac perditi,
Vivi, imbecilli, ac mortui :
Jam nemo posthac mortuus.

The following beautiful prayer, from the Mozarabic
Missal, will assist us to celebrate, in a becoming
manner, the triple Mystery of the Epiphany.

OEATIO.

0 God, who, to lighten the Deus qui nobis ad rele-
labours of this present life, vandos istius vitse labores,
hast conferred upon us the diversa donorum tuorum

196

CHRISTMAS.

solatia et gaudia contulisti,
quibus insignes annuis re-
cursibus dies agimus, ut
Ecclesise tuse vota solemnia
praesenti festivitate celebre-
mus : unde et proxime Na-
talem Domini Salvatoris per-
egimus, qui nobis natus in
tempore est, qui de te natus
sine tempore, omnium sse-
culorum et temporum est
antecessor et conditor : de-
inde subsecutum diem Cir-
cumcisionis octavum, Uni-
geniti luce signatum, pari
observantia recolentes, sa-
crificiis solemnibus hono-
ravimus : nunc Epiphanise
diem, revelante in nomine
divinitate, excolimus, di-
versa Domini nostri Jesu
Christi Filii tui in hoc mun-
do suum adventum mani-
festantia insignia prsedican-
tes, sive quod stellam ortus
sui nunciam misit e coelo,
quam stupentibus Magis
usque ad cunabula suse car-
nalis infantiae praeviam fe-
cit : sive quod aquas bap-
tismate suo, ad omnium
gentium lavationem, Jor-
danis alveum sanctificatu-
rus intravit : ubi ipsum esse
Filium unigenitum dilec-
tum, Spiritu, columbae spe-
cie, advolante, monstrasti,
et paterna insuper voce do-
cuisti : sive quod primum
in Cana Galilaeae prodidit
signum, cum in connubio
nuptiali, aquas in vinum
convertit, alto et admirabili
sacramento docens, quod
a sseculis sponsae sibi jun-
gendus Ecclesise advenerat,
ac in vinum prudentiae spi-

various consolations and joys
of thy gifts, the which we com-
memorate in the yearly recur-
rence of the festivals : — thou
grant est us now, on this present
solemnity, to unite in the
mysteries celebrated by thy
Church. Having kept, a few
days past, the feast of the
Nativity of our Lord and
Saviour, who was born unto
us in time, and yet was born
of thee from eternity, and
preceded and created all ages
and time ; having, eight days
after that, with like devotion
and with the same solemn
sacrifice, honoured the Cir-
cumcision, that feast resplen-
dent with the light of thine
Only Begotten Son ; we now,
on this day, worship the Epi-
phany, which revealed unto us
the divinity of Him, who had
assumed our Humanity. We
proclaim those various mani-
festations, whereby our Lord
Jesus Christ, thy Son, made
known his having come into
this^ world. We proclaim his
having sent from the heavens
that Star, which announced
his own rising, and by whose
guidance, he led the wondering
Magi to the cradle where he
lay in his assumed Infant
Flesh. We proclaim his sanc-
tifying, unto the cleansing
of all nations, the waters by
his own Baptism, when he
entered the bed of the Jordan,
and where, by thy Spirit
hovering in the shape of a
dove over him, thou didst show
and by thy paternal voice
didst declare that he was thy
beloved Only Begotten Son.

JAN. 9. FOUETH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE. 197

We proclaim his first miracle
wrought in Cana of Galilee,
when, at the marriage-feast, he
changed the water into wine,
teaching us, by a sublime and
admirable mystery, that he had
come in order to be united to
the Church, the Spouse he had,
for ages, chosen to himself, and
that the faith in the promises
was henceforth to be changed
into the wine of sweet spiritual
wisdom. Thus it is, that in
the three wonders, which are
the object of our faith on this
day's solemnity, our Lord Jesus
Christ, thy Son, achieves both
the operation of thy power,
and the preparation of our
salvation. Wherefore, we be-
seech thee, 0 Lord, grant us,
agreeably to these three pro-
digies, that there may abide in
us the soundness of spiritual
grace, that our hearts may
relish the wine of prudence,
and that the star of justice
may shine forth in our works.
Amen.

ritualis saporis fidem veri-
tatis esse mutandum : ita-
que in his tribus mirabi-
lium tuorum causis fide ho-
diernae solemnitatis edita,
Dominusnoster Jesus Chris-
tus, Filius tuus, nihilomi-
nus tuae virtutis operatio,
et nostrae salutis praeparatio
est. Propterea, Domine,
secundum hsec tria magna
mirabilia, maneat in nobis
gratiae spiritualis integri-
tas, sapiat in cordibus nos-
tris vinum prudentiae, ful-
geat in operibus Stella jus-
titiae. Amen.

The ancient Paris Missal of 1584 contains the
following Sequence for one of the days during this
Octave. It is full of unction.

SEQUENCE.

The Star of the Cross has
risen ; let us most earnestly
seek the King of kings.

Let us seek him in humility,
for it is to humble hearts alone
that he shows himself.

He lies in a crib, for he
scorns a regal couch, and lives
in poverty.

Orto crucis sidere,
Quasramus summopere
Regem regum omnium.

Quaeramus humiliter,
JSTon panditur aliter
Cordibus quaerentium.

Jacet in praesepio,
Spreto regum solio,
Degens in penuria.

198

CHRISTMAS.

Formam dans quserenti-
bus,
Calcatis terrestribus,
Amare coelestia.

Herode postposito,
Magos cultu debito
Sequaniur celeriter.

Stella duce cursitant
Ad Regem quem praedicant
Regnare perenniter.

Offerainus typice,
Quod illi magnifice
Tulerunt realiter.

Thus superno Numini,
Myrrham vero bomini,
Aurum Regi pariter.

His donis, o lilium,
Placa nobis Filium
Repletuni dulcedine.

Ut possimus libere,
Secum semper vivere
Paradisi culniine. Amen.

He thus teacbes them tbat
seek bim, to despise tbe things
of earth, and love those of
heaven.

Let us turn away from
Herod, and follow, without
delay, the Magi, and pay our
homage to Jesus.

They are led by tbe Star,
and hasten to the King, whom
they proclaim as tbe everlast-
ing Ruler.

Let us mystically offer the
gifts, which they really offered
bim so magnificently :

Let us offer Incense to Jesus,
as our God ; our Myrrh to
bim, as Man : our Gold to him,
as King.

Do thou, O Mary, pure Lily !
pray for us to thy Son, who is
full of sweetness, that these
our gifts may render bim pro-
pitious ;

Tbat so, being freed from
this world, we may live with
him for ever in the heavenly
land above. Amen.

We here insert a few stanzas from the exquisite
Hymn composed by St. Epbrem for tbe Syrian
Cburch.

HYMN".

Quam mitis es Puer, quam
vehemens judiciorum tuo-
rum vis omnipotens, et ine-
luctabilis est, suavis et dul-
cis est amor tuus ; quis tibi
obsistet 1

In sublimi habitat Pater
tuus, tua Mater humi jacet ;
undenam tui notitiam quis
capiat? Si quis terrenus
homo tuam disquirat natu-
ram ab humanis remotam

How gentle art thou, dear
Babe ! How mighty is the
omnipotent and irresistible
power of thy judgments! How
sweet and amiable is thy love !
Who can withstand thee 1

Thy Father dwells in the
high heavens ; thy Mother
stands on the lowly earth ;
who can understand thee 1 If
the earthly man investigate
thy nature, which surpasses

JAN. 9. FOURTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE. 199

the ken of mortals, it is found
in the highest heavens, hid in
the vast bosom of the divinity.

If, again, one wish to see
thy Body made visible to the
eye of man, lo ! it lies upon
the earth — it has issued from
the narrow womb of Mary, and
all may see it. The soul knows
not what to think, and the
mind grows bewildered in the
calculation of thy ways, O
Jesus ! rich Lord and God !

Thy divinity is shut beneath
a twofold barrier; yet art thou,
and I confess it, an immeasur-
able ocean to him who at-
tempts to fathom thee, even
now that thou hast humbled
thy greatness to our littleness.
When we seek for a sight of
thee, we see thee a Man, hav-
ing hoped to see thee as the
great God : and when we wish
to look upon thee as Man,
then straightways is our eye
struck and dazzled by the
bright splendour of thy Divi-
nity.

And who would think thee
to be the Heir of David's
throne 1 Instead of costly fur-
niture, thou hast but a Crib :
instead of the regal palaces,
thou hast but a Cave : instead
of the richly caparisoned
steeds, there stands near thee
one poor ass.

Yet, dear Babe, how lovely
art thou ! accessible to all,
and meeting with thy smile
all who come to thee ! Thy
love is verily the love of one
who longeth after men, as a
hungry man that longeth after
bread.

Thou welcomest to thee,

sensibus, haec supereminet
ccelo in magnum divinitatis
retrusa sinum.

Si rursus quispiam cor-
pus cognoscere cupiat oculis
expositum, en humi jacet,
teque ab angusto Mariae
gremio praabet aspectabilem.
Errat incertus animus, ne-
que sibi constat mens tuas,
o dives, rationes supputans.

Congeminatis seris clau-
ditur tua divinitas ; pelagus
es tamen immensum, cedo,
qui ejus fundum attingat,
etiam postquam magnitudi-
nem tuam ad nostram par-
vitatem deduxisti. Cum
tuum conspectum petimus,
hominem videmus, visuros
nos Deum sperantes ; si ho-
minem videre velimus, inde
statim in oculos incurrit
hebetatque aciem coruscans
divinitatis splendor.

Jam quis credat haeredem
te esse Davidici throni, cui
ex lauta ejus supellectile
prsesepe duntaxat relictum
est, et ex amplissimis sedi-
bus, spelunca, deque ejus
equitatu vix vilem asellum
cernere aliquando contin-
getl m

Attamen quam benignus
es, puer, qui te omnibus in-
dulges, et obviis quibusque
arrides ! talis nempe tuus
amor est, qualem credibile
est futurum fuisse ejus, qui
homines desideraret, ut
panem quilibet esuriens.

Parentes ab externis non

200

CHEISTMAS.

discernis, nee genitricem ab
ancillis, nee virginem te
lactantem ab impuris pros-
titutse pudicitiae feminis.
Quid ? Num ttri ingenii na-
turalis facilitas hue te de-
misit, an charitas, qui nihil
odisti eorum quae f ecisti ?

Quid istuc quod te movet,
ut ad omnes descendas, ad
locupletes ac tenues, et ad
eos accurras etiam non vo-
catus 1 Unde tibi istud in-
ditum, ut homines tanto-
pere cupias 1

Quas hsec tua charitas est,
ut si quis te objurgat, non
succenseas, si minis terret,
non trepides, si duriter te-
cum agit, frontem non con-
trahas 1 Tua nimirum cha-
ritas antecellit legem illo-
rum, qui suas persequeban-
tur injurias et vindicabant.

with a like affection, strangers
and thy kindred, women and
thy Mother, impure prostitutes
and the Virgin that feeds thee
at her Breast. And how is
this 1 Is it the sweet condes-
cension of thy heart, or is it
the love, wherewith thou lov-
est all things thou hast made,
that has brought thee to this
excess of affection 1

What is it that induces thee
to stoop thus towards all, rich
and poor, and run even to
them that ask thee not to
come 1 Whence hast thou this
inclination to love us men so
much1?

What charity is this, that if
a man insult thee, thou art not
indignant 1 or if he threaten
thee, thou fearest not to go to
him 1 or if he treat thee with
cruelty, there is not a wrinkle
on thy brow 1 Ah ! thy cha-
rity is of another sort from
theirs who persecute them that
do them wrong and who seek
revenge upon their enemies.

Let us honour the Virgin -Mother, by addressing
to her these stanzas of a Hymn composed by St.
Joseph the Hymnographer. It is in the Menaea of
the Greek Church.

IV. Die Jantjakii.

Divinum Regis palatium
honoremus, in quo, quem-
admodum ipse voluit, ha-
bitavit, innuptam ac solam
Deiparam, per quam deifi-
cati sumus, collaudemus.

Casta ante partum, in
partu, et post partum, vere,

Let us honour the divine
Palace of the King, in which
it was his will to dwell — the
virgin and incomparable
Mother of God : let us sing
our praises to Her, by whom
we were raised up to God.

Thou, O truly Virgin-Mother,
wast pure before thy delivery,

JAN. 9. FOURTH BAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE. 201

and in thy delivery, and after
thy delivery ; for thou didst
give birth to that God, whom
the Apostolic College made
known to the world by their
preaching.

The most blessed choir of
the Prophets of old, divinely
inspired by the Spirit, did, in
their sacred prophecies, call
thee, O most chaste one, the
Gate and the Mountain o'er-
shadowed.

Enlighten, 0 Virgin ! the
eyes of my heart, and send
within me the bright ray of
compunction ; deliver me from
eternal darkness ; 0 thou Gate
of Light, and Refuge of all
Christians faithfully praising
thee.

I praise thee, the creature
alone worthy of all praise ; I
glorify thee, 0 thou that hast
ever been glorified by God ;
and I bless thee, 0 Virgin,
thou most happy in a divine
blessedness, who art called
Blessed by all generations. •

O most pure one ! thou hast
been made the propitiatory of
them that sin often, for thou
didst miraculously bring forth
Christ, who taketh away the
sins of the world, and to whom
we cry : Blessed art thou, O
Lord and God of our fathers !

O miracle that surpasseth
all miracles ! How is it, 0
most chaste Spouse of God,
that thou bearest a Child yet
remainest a Virgin 1 Thou
hast given birth to the Word,
co-eternal with the Father, to
whom we all thus sing : Praise
him, all ye his works, and
magnify the Lord above all
for ever.

o Virgo mater, apparuisti :
Deum enim peperisti, quern
Apostolorum collegium ma-
nifeste praedicavit.

Beatissimus olim Prophe-
tarum chorus sacris vatici-
niis in Spiritu diyinitus te,
o castissima,Portam et Mon-
tem umbrosum nominavit.

Illumina, o Virgo, oculos
cordis mei, effulge super me
pcenitentise radio ; a tene-
bris perennibus libera me ;
o Porta lucis, Befugium om-
nium christianorum te fide-
liter laudantium.

Laudo te, o sola digna
omni laude ; glorifico te, o
semper a Deo glorificatis-
sima ; et beatifico, te o
Virgo, divina beatitudine f e-
licissima, quam generatio-
ns generationum beatam
appellant.

Expiatorium facta es, o
purissima, eorum qui assi-
due delinquunt, supra na-
turae ordinem enixa Chris-
tum, qui tollit peccata mun-
di, ad quern clamamus : Do-
minus ac Deus patrum,
benedictus es.

O miraculum, quod om-
nia miracula transcendit ;
quomodo paris et permanes
virgo, o castissima sponsa
Dei ! nimirum Verbum Pa-
tri coseternum genuisti, cui
omnes psallimus : Laudate
omnia opera, et superexal-
tate Dominum in omnia sse-
cula.

202

CHEISTMAS.

Jubar fulgoris partus tui
effulsit, atque universum
terrarum orbem lsetissimo
lumine perfudit, ac tene-
brarum principem perdidit,
o Dei Genitrix castissima,
Angelorum gloriatio, atque
omnium hominum salus,
qui incessantibus vocibus te
concelebrant.

The bright splendour of thy
delivery has shone forth, and
has shed a most joyful light
over the whole earth, and has
destroyed the prince of dark-
ness, O most chaste Mother of
God, thou joy of the Angels,
and protectress of all who
honour thee with their unceas-
ing praises.

JAN. 10. FIFTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE. 203

JANUAKY 10.

THE FIFTH DAY

WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY.

The Magi have reached Bethlehem; the humble
dwelling of the King of the Jews has been thrown
open to them ; there, says St. Matthew, they found
the Child, with Mary his Mother.1 Falling down,
they adore the divine King they have so fervently
sought after, and for whom the whole earth has been
longing.

Here we have the first commencement of the
Christian Church. In this humble Stable, we have
the Son of God, made Man, presiding as Head over
his mystical body ; Mary is present, as the co-opera-
trix in the world's salvation, and as the Mother of
divine Grace ; Juda is represented by this Holy
Queen and her Spouse St. Joseph ; the Gentiles are
adoring, in the person of the Magi, whose faith is
perfect now that they have seen the Child. It is not
a Prophet that they are honouring, nor is it to an
earthly King that they open their treasures ; he, be-
fore whom they prostrate in adoration, is their God.
" See, I pray you," says St. Bernard, " and attentively
" consider how keen is the eye of faith. It recog-
nises the Son of God whether feeding at his
" Mother's breasts, or hanging on the Cross, or dying
" in the midst of suffering ; for the Good Thief re-
" cognises him on the Cross, and the Magi recognise

1 St. Matth. ii. 11.

204 CHRISTMAS.

"him in the Stable; he, in spite of the nails which
" fasten him, and they, in spite of the clouts which
" swathe him."1

So that all is consummated. Bethlehem is not merely
the birth-place of our Redeemer; it is the cradle of the
Church. Well did the Prophet say of it : And thou,
Bethlehem, art not the least among the princes of
Juda.2 We can understand St. Jerome's leaving all
the ambitions and comforts of Rome, to go and bury
himself in the seclusion of this Cave, where all these
mysteries were accomplished. Who would not gladly
live and die in this privileged place, sanctified as it
is by the presence of our Jesus, embalmed with the
fragrance of the Queen of Heaven, filled with the
lingering echoes of the songs of Angels, and fresh,
even yet, with the memory of those ancestors of our
faith, the holy Magi !

These happy Kings are not scandalised at the
sight they behold on entering the humble dwelling.
They are not disappointed at rinding, at the end of
their long journey, a weak Babe, a poor Mother, and
a wretched Stable. On the contrary, they rightly un-
derstand the mystery. Once believing in the pro-
mise, that the Infinite God would visit his creature
Man, and show him how he loved him — they are not
surprised at seeing him humbling himself, and taking
upon himself all our miseries that he might be like
us in all, save sin. Their own hearts told them that
the wound inflicted on man by pride was too deep to
be healed by anything short of an extreme remedy ;
so that, to them, these strange humiliations at Beth-
lehem bespeak the design and action of a God. Israel,
too, is in expectation of the Messias, but he must be
mighty and wealthy and exalted, above all other
kings, in earthly glory ; the Magi, on the contrary,

1 Second Sermon for the Epiphany.
8 Sfc. Matth. ii. 6 ; Mich. v. 2.

JAN. 10. FIFTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE. 205

see in the humility and poverty of this weak Babe of
Bethlehem the indications of the true Messias. The
grace of God has triumphed in these faithful men ;
they fall down before him, and, full of admiration
and love, they adore him.

Who could describe the sweet conversations they
held with his Blessed Mother ? for, the King himself,
whom they were come in search of, broke not, even
for their sak.es, the voluntary silence he had imposed
on himself by becoming an Infant. He accepted
their homage, he sweetly smiled upon them, he blessed
them ; but he would not speak to them ; Mary alone
was to satisfy, by her sublime communications, the
holy curiosity of the three pilgrims, who represented
the entire human race. How amply must she not
have rewarded their faith and love, by announcing
to them the Mystery of that virginal Birth, which
was to bring salvation to the world ; by telling them
of the joys of her own maternal heart ; and by describ-
ing to them the sweet perfections of the divine Child !
They themselves would fix their eyes on the Blessed
Mother, and listen to her every word with devout
attention ; and oh ! how sweetly must not divine grace
have penetrated their hearts through the words of
Her, whom God himself has chosen as the means to
lead men to the knowledge and the love of his sove-
reign Majesty ! The Star, which, but an hour ago,
had brightly shone for them in the heavens, was
replaced by another, of a lovelier light, and stronger
influence; and it prepared them for the contemplation
of that God, who calls himself the bright and morn-
ing Star I1 The whole world seemed now a mere
nothing in their eyes ; the Stable of Bethlehem held
within it all the riches of heaven and earth. They
had shared in that long expectation of the human
race, the expectation of four thousand years — and now,

1 Apoc. xxii. 16.

206 CHRISTMAS.

it seemed but as a moment, so full and perfect was
their joy at having found the God, who alone can
satisfy the desires of man's heart.

They understood and entered into the merciful
designs of their Emmanuel; they gratefully and
humbly contracted with him the alliance he so mer-
cifully made, through them, with the human race;
they adored the just judgments of God, who was
about to cast off an unbelieving people ; they rejoiced
at the glories of the Christian Church, which had
thus been begun in their persons ; they prayed for
us, their posterity in that same Church.

We, dear Babe of Bethlehem ! — we the Gentiles,
who, by our regeneration, have become the posterity
of these first Christians — we adore thee as they did.
Since their entrance into Bethlehem, long ages have
passed away ; but there has been an unbroken pro-
cession of people and nations tending towards thee
under the guidance of the Star of Faith. We have
been made members of thy Church, and we adore thee
with the Magi. In one thing are we happier than
these first-born of the Church; we have heard thy
sacred words and teachings, we have contemplated
thy sufferings and thy Cross, we have been witnesses
of thy Resurrection, we have heard the whole universe,
from the rising to the setting of the sun, hymning thy
blessed and glorious Name : well may we adore and
love thee as King of the earth ! The Sacrifice,
whereby all thy Mysteries are perpetuated and re-
newed, is now offered up daily in every part of the
world ; the voice of thy Church is heard speaking to
all men ; and all this light and all these graces are
ours! The Church, the ever-endnring Bethlehem,
the House of the Bread of Life, gives thee to us, and
we are for ever feasting on thy adorable beauty. Yea,
sweet Jesus, we adore thee with the Magi.

And thou, 0 Mary ! teach us as thou didst teach
the Magi. Unfold to us, and each year more clearly,

JAN. 10. FIFTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAYE. 207

the sweet Mystery of thy Jesus, and, at length, win
us over unreservedly to his service. Thou art our
Mother — watch over us, and suffer us not to lose
any of the lessons he teaches us. May Bethlehem,
wherein we have entered in company "with the holy
Magi, work in us the renovation of our whole lives.

Let us close the day by reciting some of the ancient
Hymns written in honour of the Mystery of our new-
born King. Let us begin with these stanzas of one
composed by St. Ambrose.

HYMX.

The Gate of Christ is opened
— a Gate all filled "with grace: —
the King passes, and the Gate
remains shut, as it had for ever
been.

The Son of the infinite God
came forth from the Virgin's
womb : he is the Spouse, Re-
deemer, Creator, and (as the
Psalm speaks,) the Giant of
his Church.

He is the glory and the joy
of his Mother ; he is the im-
mense hope of them that be-
lieve in him. He drank the
bitter cup of death, and so
absolved our sins.

He is the Stone that came
from the mountain, filling the
world with grace. The ancient
prophets tell us that this Stone
is to come, and is not to be cut
by the hand.

It is he, the Word, who was
made Flesh as the Angel was
speaking ; He was born a Vir-
gin from the Virgin's virginal
womb.

The heavens give forth their
Dew, and the clouds rained

Fit porta Christi pervia,

Referta plena gratia.
Transit que Eex, et permanet
Clausa nt fuit per saecula.

Genns superni Xnminis
Processit aula Yirginis,
Sponsus, Eedemptor, condi-

tor,
Sua? gigas Ecclesiae.

Honor Matris et gaudium,
Immensa spes credentium,
Per atra mortis pocnla
Eesolvit nostra crimina.

Lapis de monte veniens,
Mimdmnque replens gratia,
Quern non praecisum niani-

bus
Yates vetusti nuntiant.

Qui Verbum caro factus
est
Proeconio angelic o,
De claustris virginalibus
Yirginis virgo natus est.

Eorem dederunt sethera,
Nubesque justuni fuderunt,

208

CHRISTMAS.

Patens excepit Dominum
Terra salutem generans.

Mirabilis conceptio :
Christum protulit sobolem,
Ut Yirgo partum funderet,
Post partum virgo sisteret.

Exsulta omnis anima,
Nunc Redemptorem gen-
tium
Mundi venisse Dominum
Redimere quos condidit.

Creator cuncti generis,
Orbis quern totus non capit,
In tua, sancta Genitrix,
Sese reclusit viscera.

Quern Pater ante tem-
pora
Deus Deumque genuit,
Matris almse virginitas
Cum tempore partum edi-
dit.

Tollens cuncta facinora,
Et donans sancta munera,
Augmentum lucis afferens,
Tenebris damnum inferens.

down the Just One ; the earth
opens and buds forth its Sa-
viour, our Lord.

O wonderful conception !
the Child it has produced is
Christ, and the Mother that
was Virgin in giving him birth,
remained a Virgin after she
had given him birth.

Let every soul be glad, for
the Redeemer of nations, the
Lord of the world, is come to
redeem the creatures he had
made.

The Creator of the human
race, whom the whole world
is too little to hold, has hid
himself, O holy Mother! in
thy womb.

He that was born of his Fa-
ther, before all ages, God of
God, is now born in time of
his dear Virgin-Mother.

He takes away all sin, and
gives his sacred gifts ; he
brings increase of light, and
breaks the power of night.

The following prayer is from the Breviary of the
Gothic Church of Spain.

PEAYEE.

Domine Jesu Christe, qui
ad interrogationem Hero-
dis, ita Magorum ora prse-
conio veritatis tuse irradias,
ut te Regem regum per eos
nuntiatum ostendas, dum
se vidisse aiunt stellse re-
fulgentis indicium, quod
mundum illuminet univer-
sum : Te quaesumus, te pre-
camur, ut des in Ecclesia

0 Lord Jesus Christ, who,
when the Magi were ques-
tioned by Herod, didst en-
lighten them with the an-
nouncement of thy truth, by
showing thyself to be the King
of kings whom they declared
by their saying that they had
seen thy sign, the bright Star,
which gives light to the whole
world : we beseech and im-

JAN. 10. FIFTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE. 209

plore thee, that thou grant to
thy Church the light she so
much desires of thy vision.
Show thyself, also, in her as
the Star prized by all ; that
so, when questioned by our
enemy, we may not be afraid,
but may so boldly confess thy
mysteries, as that we may shine
for all eternity in the man-
sion of eternal light. Amen.

tua visionis tuae lumen opta-
tum : appareas etiam in ea
sidus omnibus pretiosum,
quod nulla adversarii inter-
rogatione deterriti, sic mag-
nalia tua praedicemus ore
diffuso, ut in aeternae lucis
radiemus usquequaque prae-
sidio. Amen.

The Church of Syria received the following Hymn
of the Magi from her admirable Poet, St. Ephrem.

HYMN.

The Persian Princes were
filled with joy, and took with
them such gifts as their coun-
try yielded, and brought to
the Son of the Virgin gold,
myrrh, and frankincense.

Having entered, they found
the Child lying in the house
of a poor maid : but falling
down they adored him with
much joy, and offered him
their treasures.

Mary spoke to them and
said : — To whom offer ye these
things 1 and why offer ye them ?
what has brought you from
your country, to come to my
Child with your treasures 1

They answered: — Thy Child
is King, and all diadems are
made by him, for he is the
King of all kings, and his king-
dom is above this world, and
all things are subject to his
dominion.

— But how could this have
happened, that a poor maid
should have given birth to a

(2)

Exsultantes Principes Per-
sidis ex sua regione acce-
perunt munera, et Filio
Virginis attulerunt aurum,
myrrham et incensum.

Ingressi ut infantem re-
pererunt ilium in domo
jacentem pauperculaa : at
procidentes exsultando ado-
raverunt eum, et suos ipsi
obtulerunt thesauros.

Dixit Maria : Cui haec ? et
ad quid 1 et quae causa vo-
cavit vos ex vestra regione,
ut ad puerum cum thesauris
vestris veniretis.

Eespondent illi : Rex est
films tuus, et diademata
connectit cum sit Rex
omnium, altiusque munclo
est regnum ejus, ac imperio
ipsius singula parent.

Quando contigit hoc un-
quam, ut paupercula Regem
pariat ? Inops sane sum, ac

210

CHRISTMAS.

egena, undeque mihi erit ut
Regem pariam 1

Tibi soli hoc contigit, ut
magnum Regem parias ; et
per te magnificabitur pau-
pertas, filioque tuo subji-
cientur diademata.

Non sunt mihi gazae re-
gum, nee divitise unquam
mihi obvenerunt ; domus en
paupercula est, et vacuum
domicilium : cur ergo filium
meum Regem praedicatis ?

Gazae magnae est filius
tuus, et divitise, quae omnes
ditare valent; gazae nam-
que regum deficiunt ; ille
vero nee deficiet, nee men-
surabitur.

Ne alius forte sit vester
Rex, qui natus est, hunc
perquirite ; etenim hie pau-
perculae est filius, quae Re-
gem vel videre nequit.

Numquid fieri unquam
potest, ut aberret viam lu-
men, quando immittitur ']
Siquidem non tenebrae nos
vocarunt et adduxerunt :
sed in lumine ambulavimus,
et filius tuus Rex est.

Ecce videtis infantem si-
lentem, et matris domum
inanem, et vacuam, nullum-
que in ea Regis apparere
vestigium ; quomodo ergo
ejusmodi incolans domum
Rex est ?

Ecce sane videmus ilium
silentem, et quietum ; sed
Regem, etsi pauperam, ut
dixisti : at videmus etiam
eum suo commovere impe-
rio astra coeli, ut praenun-
tient ortum ejus.

King1? I am indeed needy
and poor : could I have
brought forth a King 1

— Thou alone hast had this
happiness, to give birth to the
great King. Poverty shall now
be honoured on thy account,
and thrones shall be subject to
thy Son.

— But, I have no treasures
such as kings have, nor did I
ever possess riches. Lo! my
house is little and poor, and
empty is this my dwelling : why
then call you my Son King 1

— Thy Son himself is trea-
sure and riches, enough to en-
rich allmen ; for the treasures of
kings fail ; but He shall never
fail, and there shall be no
limits to his wealth.

— Go, seek this your King,
who is born ; for this Babe is
the Child of a poor maid, who
would not be allowed to even
look at a king.

— No, it cannot be that light
sent down from heaven can
mislead us. It is not darkness
that has called and guided us ;
but we have walked in the
light, and thy Son is King.

— But, this Babe is speech-
less, and his Mother's house is
poor, and empty, and there is
nought here that suits a King :
how can He be King that dwells
in such a house 1

— Silent, indeed, he is, and
motionless, and, as thou sayest,
poor ; still is he King, for we
have seen him move the stars
of heaven, when he bade them
proclaim his birth.

JAN. 10. FIFTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE. 211

— He is but a tiny Babe,
and, as you see, he has neither
crown nor throne : what is it
that makes you honour him
with your treasures, as though
he were a King?

— He is a little Child, for he
wished so to be, and he will
love meekness and humility,
until the day shall come for
him to show himself : but the
time shall be, when crowned
heads shall bow before him
and adore him.

— My Son has no troops, or
legions, or armies, but lies
couched as best his Mother's
poverty can provide : how,
then, call you him King 1

— The armies of thy Child
are there above, they ride on the
clouds of heaven, and light up
the firmament with their
brightness, and one of their
number came down to call us,
and all our people were in
consternation. .

Parvulus est infans, et
ecce, ut cernitis, nee dia-
dema regium habet, nee
thronum : quid ergo videtis
ut honoretis eum thesauris
vestris, ut Regem 1

Parvulus est, quia ipse
voluit, et diliget mansuetu-
dinem, et humilitatem, do-
nee manifestetur. At erit
tempus, cum incurvabun-
tur illi diademata, ac ilium
adorabunt.

Virtutes nullas habet, ne-
que legiones ; nequecohortes
films meus, in paupertate
suae jacet matris ; et Rex a
vobis quomodo appellatur ]

Virtutes filii tui desuper
sunt, ccelum equitant, et
micant flammis, ex quorum
numero unus nos vocare
venit, totaque perterrita est
regio nostra.

As our offering to our Lady, we will recite this
beautiful Sequence, which our own dear England
used to sing in the Middle-Ages.

SEQUENCE.

0 flower of purity ! Sanc-
tuary of chastity ! Mother of
mercy !

Hail, gentle Maid ! Source
of Life! Beautiful light! Full
of the dew of the sevenfold
Spirit ! Adorned with all vir-
tues, and blooming in holiness
of life !

Flos pudicitiae,
Aula munditiae,
Mater misericordiae.

Salve, Virgo serena,
Vitae vena,
Lux amoena,
Bore plena
Septiformis Spiritus,
Virtutibus
Ornantibus,
Ac moribus
Vernantibus !

212

CHRISTMAS.

Eosa jucunda,
Castitatis lilium,
Prole fcecunda,
Gignis Dei Filiuni ;
Virgoque munda
Tu post puerperium.

Modo miro,
Sine viro,
Prole foecundaris.

Summi Ducis,
Verse lucis
Partu decoraris.

Yirga, flore,
Rubo, rore
Virgo designaris.

Vellereque
Madenteque
Digna Domini paris.

Virgo prolem,
Stella solem,
Profers, expers paris.

Ob hoc rite,
Via vitse
Jure praedicaris.

Tu spes, et refugium
Lapsorum humilium :
Tu medela criminum,
Salus pcenitentium.

Tu solamen tristium,
Levamen debiliuni ;
Tu purgatrix sordium,
Confirmatrix cordium.

Tu laus, tu remedium
In te confidentium :
Tu vitale premium
Tibi servientium.

Sweet Rose ! Lily of chas-
tity ! Fruitful Mother, thou
givest birth to the Son of God !
And after thy delivery thou
remainest a pure Virgin !

Thou art made his Mother
in a wonderful way — nature
stood aside to let its God do
all.

How beautiful art thou by
giving birth to Him that is the
very'^Light — the great King !

Those ancient figures of the
Law — the Rod, the Flower,
the Bush, the Dew — all were
types of thee, sweet Virgin-
Mother !

And Gedeon's Fleece, soaked
with the dew of heaven, fore-
shadowed thee, 0 Mary, the
worthy Mother of our God !

Thou art a Virgin, and thou
hast a Child ! Thou art a
Star, and thou bringest forth a
Sun ! Dear peerless Queen !

And after this, can men be
found who deem it wrong to
call thee " the Way of Life" %

Thou art the Hope, and the
Refuge of humble sinners ;
thou healest them whose hearts
are sick from crime, and thou
winnest salvation for them
that repent.

Thou art the comfortress of
the afflicted, and the support of
the weak ; the unclean of heart
ask thee to pray them pure,
and souls discouraged get
bravery from thee.

Thou art the glory and the
helper of them that have con-
fidence in thee; and, by thy
prayers, thou obtainest the re-
ward of eternal life for them
that serve thee.

JAN. 10. FIFTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE. 213

O Mary, full of motherly
love ! thou art the sinner's
advocate, and the sweet con-
soling hope of them that are
in wretchedness.

Raise up the hearts of us
thy clients, and turn them to
the holy joys of the heavenly
kingdom.

Where we may, by thy in-
tercession, truly rejoice, and
reign together with thy Son.
Amen.

0 pia Maria,

Lapsis advocata,
Tu cunctis miseris
Dulcis spes et grata.

Erige, dirige
Corda tuorum,
Ad pia gaudia
Eegni ccelorum.

Quo vere gaudere
Per te possimus,
Cum Natoque tuo,
Regnantes simus. Amen.

214 CHRISTMAS.

January 11.
THE SIXTH DAY

WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY.

The Magi were not satisfied with paying their ado-
rations to the great King, whom Mary presented to
them. After the example of the Queen of Saba, who
paid her homage to the Prince of Peace, in the per-
son of King Solomon, these three Eastern Kings
opened their treasures, and presented their offerings
to Jesus. Our Emmanuel graciously accepted these
mystic gifts, and suffered them not to leave him until
he had loaded them with gifts infinitely more precious
than those he had vouchsafed to receive. The Magi
had given him of the riches which this earth pro-
duces ; Jesus repays them with heavenly gifts. He
strengthened in their hearts the virtues of faith, hope,
and charity ; he enriched, in their persons, the Church
of which they were the representatives ; and the
words of the Canticle of Mary were fulfilled in them :
He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the
rich he hath sent empty away} for the Synagogue
refused to follow them in their search after the King
of the Jews.

But let us consider the gifts made by the Magi,
and let us, together with the Church and the Holy
Fathers, acknowledge the Mysteries expressed by
them. The gifts were three in number, in order to
honour the sacred number of the Persons in the

1 St. Luke, i. 53.

JAN. 11. SIXTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE. 215

divine Essence, as likewise to express the triple
character of the Emmanuel. He had come, that he
might be King over the whole world ; it was fitting
that men should offer Gold to him, for it is the
emblem of sovereign power. He had come to be
High Priest, and, by his mediation, reconcile earth
to heaven ; Incense, then, was an appropriate gift, for
the Priest uses it when he offers sacrifice. But,
thirdly, it was only by his own death that he was to
obtain possession of the throne, which was prepared
for his glorified Human Nature, and the perpetual
Sacrifice of the Divine Lamb was to be inaugurated
by this same his Death : the gift of Myrrh was ex-
pressive of the Death and Burial of an immortal
Victim. The Holy Ghost, who inspired the Pro-
phets, had guided the Magi in their selection of these
three gifts. Let us listen to St. Leo, who speaking
of this Mystery, says with his usual eloquence :

" O admirable Faith, which leads to Knowledge
" and perfect Knowledge, and which was not taught
" in the school of earthly wisdom, but was enlight-
" ened by the Holy Ghost himself ! For, whence
" had they learnt the supernatural beauty of their
" three Gifts ? — they, that had come straight from
" their own country, and had not, as yet, seen Jesus,
" nor beheld, in his Infant Face, the Light which
" directed them in the choice of their offerings ?
" Whilst the Star met the gaze of the bodily eye,
" their hearts were instructed by a stronger light —
" the ray of Truth. Before setting out on the
" fatiguing journey, they knew Him, to whom were
" due, by Gold, the honours of a King ; by Incense,
" the worship of God ; by Myrrh, the faith in his
" Mortal Nature."1

But these three gifts, which so sublimely express
the three characters of the Man-God, are fraught
with instruction for us. They signify three great

1 Sermon the Fourth On the Epiphany.

216 CHRISTMAS.

virtues, which the Divine Infant found in the souls
of the Magi, and to which he added increase by his
grace. Gold signifies charity, which unites us to
God ; Frankincense prayer, which brings God into
man's heart ; and Myrrh self-abnegation, suffering,
and mortification, whereby we are delivered from the
slavery of corrupt nature. Find a heart that loves
God, that raises herself up to him by prayer, that
understands and relishes the power of the cross —
and you have in that heart the worthiest offering
which can be made to God, and one which he always
accepts.

We, too, 0 Jesus ! offer thee our treasure and our
gifts. We confess thee to be God, and Priest, and
Man. We beseech thee to accept the desire we have
of corresponding to the love thou showest us by giving
thee our love in return ; we love thee, dear Saviour !
do thou increase our love. Receive, also, the gift of
our Prayer, for, though of itself it be tepid and poor,
yet it is pleasing to thee because united with the
prayer of thy Church : teach us how to make it worthy
of thee, and how to give it the power of obtaining
what thou desirest to grant : form within us the gift
of prayer, that it may unceasingly ascend up like
sweet Incense in thy sight. And, lastly, receive the
homage of our contrite and humble hearts, and the
resolution we have formed of restraining and purify-
ing our senses by mortification and penance.

The sublime Mysteries, which we are celebrating
during this holy season, have taught us the greatness
of our own misery, and the immensity of thy love for
us, and we feel more than ever the obligation we are
under of fleeing from the world and its concupis-
cences, and of uniting ourselves to thee. The Star
shall not have shone upon us in vain : it has brought
us to thee, dear King of Bethlehem ! and thou shalt
be King of our hearts. What have we that we prize
and hold dear, which we can hesitate to give thee in

JAN. 11. SIXTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE. 217

return for the sweet infinite treasure of Thyself, which
thou hast given to us ?

Dear Mother of our Jesus ! we put these our offer-
ings into thy hands. The gifts of the Magi were
made through thee, and they were pleasing to thy
Son ; thou must present ours to him, and he will be
pleased with them, in spite of their poverty. Our
love is deficient ; fill up its measure by uniting it
with thine own immense love. Second our prayer by
thy maternal intercession. Encourage us in our war-
fare against the world and the flesh. Make sure our
perseverance, by obtaining for us the grace of a con-
tinual remembrance of the sweet Mysteries which we
are now celebrating ; pray for us, that, after thine
own example, we may keep all these things in our
hearts. That must be a hard and depraved heart,
which could offend Jesus in Bethlehem ; or refuse
him anything, now that he is seated on thy lap, wait-
ing for our offering ! O Mary ! keep us from for-
getting that we are the children of the Magi, and that
Bethlehem is ever open to receive us.

Let us borrow the language of the ancient Litur-
gies, in order to give expression to the sentiments
awakened in us by all these ineffable Mysteries. Let
us begin with this Hymn on the Nativity of our
Lord, left us by the saintly Bishop of Poitiers, Venan-
tius Fortunatus.

HYMN".

Let all ages acknowledge that Agnoscat omne sgeculum

He is come, who is the reward Venisse vitse praemium ;

of life. After mankind had Post hostis asperi jugum

carried the yoke of its cruel Apparuit redemptio.
enemy, our Redemption ap-
peared.

What Isaias foretold, has Esaias quae cecinit

been fulfilled in the Virgin ; Completa sunt in Virgine :

an Angel announced the mys- Annuntiavit Angelus,

tery to her, and the Holy Sanctus replevit Spiritus.
Ghost filled her by his power.

218

CHRISTMAS.

Maria ventre concipit
Verbi fidelis semine :
Quern totus orbis non capit
Portant puellse viscera.

Radix Jesse floruit,
Et virga fructum edidit ;
Foecunda partum protulit,
Et virgo mater permanet.

Prsesepe poni pertulit
Qui lucis auctor exstitit,
Cum Patre ccelos condidit,
Sub Matre pannos induit.

Legem dedit qui sasculo,
Cujus decern prsecepta sunt,
Dignando factus est homo
Sub Legis esse vinculo.

Adam vetus quod polluit
Adam novus hoc abluit :
Tumens quod ille dejicit
Humillimus hie erigit.

Jam nata lux est et salus,
Fugata nox et victa mors,
Venite gentes, credite,
Deum Maria protulit.
Amen.

Mary conceived in her womb,
for she believed in the word
that was spoken to her : the
womb of a youthful maid holds
Him, whom the whole earth
cannot contain.

The Root of Jesse has given
its flower, and the Branch has
borne its fruit : Mary has given
birth to Jesus, and the Mother
is still the spotless Virgin.

He that created the light
suffers himself to be laid in a
manger; He that, with the
Father, made the heavens, is
now wrapt by his Mother's
hand in swaddling-clothes.

He that gave to the world
the ten commandments of the
law, deigns, by becoming Man,
to be under the bond of the law.

What the old Adam de-
filed, that the new Adam has
purified ; and what the first
cast down by his pride, the
second raised up again by
his humility.

Light and salvation are now
born to us, night is driven
away, and death is vanquished :
oh! come, all ye people, be-
lieve ; God is born of Mary.
Amen.

The Mozarabic Breviary contains the following
eloquent prayer.

PRAYEPw

Deus, Dei Filius, Patris
ineffabilis Virtus, qui novo
sidere in Gentibus Rex re-
gum ostenderis magnus, et
in civitate ilia beata appa-
res gloriosus : quern insulse
tremunt: cui principes et
nationes Gentium obse-
quuntur, dum tibi omnia

0 God, Son of God, the in-
effable Power of the Father,
who, by the rising of a new
star, didst reveal thyself to the
Gentiles as the King of kings,
and now art seen in thy glory
in that happy city above : O
thou before whom the islands
tremble, and the Gentile

JAN. 11. SIXTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE. 219

princes and nations bow in
homage, and to whom all king-
doms are subject, and at whose
feet all kings lay down
their crowns : vouchsafe
now, by thy grace, to show
thyself in thy mercy to our
souls, and manifest thyself by
our lives : that having within
us the first-fruits of the Spirit,
we may ever offer thee such
gifts, as thereby to merit to
enter, with hearts well-pleas-
ing to thee, into the blessed
Jerusalem, and by offering thee
now the most pure gold of our
works, we may deserve to be par-
takers of thy kingdom. Amen.

regna cedunt, tibi regum
diademata substernuntur ;
dignare jam gratia nostris
te ostendere sensibus pium,
et in conversationibus ma-
nifestum : ut primitias Spi-
ritus habentes, ea tibi sem-
per munera dedicemus, per
quae introire beatam illam
Hierusalem placitis cordi-
bus mereamur, ut tibi mun-
dissimum aurum nostrorum
operum deferentes, regni tui
mereamur esse participes.
Amen.

We take the following Sequence from the Paris
Missal of 1584.

SEQUENCE.

There is sung in the highest
heavens : Glory be to the new-
born King, by whom peace is
restored between heaven and
earth.

Hightly do we keep the
Birth-day of Jesus as a feast ;
for, by his birth, the grace of
the new law is born.

He, our Mediator, is given to
us to be the reward of our sal-
vation : he takes upon himself
our nature, refusing only the
being like us in our sin.

As a star loses nothing of
its brightness by giving forth
its ray ; so neither does Mary
suffer the loss of her purity by
giving birth to her Son.

Who is the Stone cut from
the mountain and not by the
hand of man, if not our Jesus,
who was of the line of kings,

In excelsis canitur
Nato Pegi gloria,
Per quern terrae redditur
In ccelo concordia.

Jure dies colitur
Christi natalitia,
Quo nascente, nascitur
Novas legis gratia.

Mediator nobis datus
In salutis prsemium,
Non naturae, sed reatus
Effugit consortium.

Non amittit claritatem
Stella fundens radium,
ISTec Maria castitatem,
Pariendo Filium.

Quis de monte lapis ceesus
Sine manu, nisi Jesus
Qui de Regum linea,

220

CHKISTMAS.

Sine carnis opere,
De carne puerperae
Processit virginea 1

Solitudo gaudeat,
Et desertum floreat :
Virga Jesse floruit.

Radix virgam, virga flo-
rem,
Virgo profert Salvatorem,
Sicut Lex praecinuit.

Eadix David typum ges-
sit :
Virga, matris quae processit
Ex regali semine.

Flos est Puer nobis natus,
Jure flori comparatus
Prae mira dulcedine.

In praesepe reclinatur,
Cujus ortus celebratur
Ccelesti praeconio.

Cceli cives jubilant,
Dum pastores vigilant
Sub noctis silentio.

Cuncta laudes intonant
Super partum Virginis.

Lex et psalmi consonant
Prophetarum paginis.

Angelorum et pastorum,
Stellae simul et Magorum
Concordant indicia.

Reges currunt Orientis
Ad praesepe vagientis,
Gentium primordia.

Jesu puer immortalis,
Ex terreno temporalis,
ISTos ab hujus vitae malis
Tu potenter erue.

Tu, post vitam hanc mor-
talem,
Sive mortem hanc vitalem,
Vitam nobis immortalem
Clementer restitue. Amen.

And was born from the womb
of his Virgin-Mother, after she
had virginally conceived %

Let the wilderness be glad,
and the desert bloom ; — the
rod of Jesse has flowered.

As was foretold in the Law,
the Root has yielded its
Branch, the Branch its Flow-
er, and the Virgin our Saviour.

The Root was the figure of
David : the Branch was the
type of Mary, who was born
of a kingly race.

The Flower is the Child
that is born unto us, well
likened to a flower, by reason
of his wonderful sweetness.

He, whose birth is celebrated
by the heavenly spirits, is laid
in a manger !

The citizens of heaven are
in jubilee, whilst the Shep-
herds are keeping watch in the
still night.

Let all creatures give forth
praise for that the Virgin has
given birth to her Son.

The law and the psalms
harmonise with the writings
of the Prophets.

The Angels and the Shep-
herds, the Star and the Magi,
all agree in proclaiming the
Birth.

The Eastern Kings run to
the Crib of the Babe — they are
the first-fruits of the Gentiles.

O Jesus, immortal Babe !
born in time because thou
wouldst assume our nature,
snatch us, by thy power, from
this life's woes.

After this our mortal life, or
rather this living death, mer-
cifully restore unto us that
life which is immortal. Amen.

JAN. 11. SIXTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE. 221

St. Ephrem, the holy Deacon of Edessa, thus con-
tinues his admirable dialogue between Mary and the
Magi.

HYMN.

— Tell me, I beg of you as
friends, how the mystery was
declared to you in your coun-
try, and who it was that told
you to come to me.

— A star of great size appear-
ed to us, more brilliant far than
other stars ; its light illumined
our land, and it was an an-
nouncement to us, that the
King was born.

— Tell not this, I pray you, in
these our parts, lest the kings
of the earth should hear it,
and plot, in their envy, against
the Child.

— Fear not, 0 Virgin ! for
thy Son shall be master of all
crowns, and shall crush them ;
neither shall the envy of kings
be able to hurt him.

— I fear that unclean wolf
Herod, lest perhaps he bring
grief upon me, and draw his
sword to cut from off its vine
my sweet though not yet
ripened Fruit.

— Fear not Herod, for his
throne shall be o'erthrown by
thy Son, and his reign shall be
short, and his crown shall fall
from his head.

— Jerusalem is a torrent of
blood, and all that are good
are slain ; if this be known,
the city will plot against my
Child. I pray you, then,
whisper these things, and noise
them not abroad.

— All blood-sheddings shall
be stayed, and all weapons
sheathed by the hand of thy

Totum mysterium ut ac-
tum est apud vos in regione
vestra, aperite nunc mihi,
ut amici : et quis vocabit
vos, ut ad me veniretis %

Magna Stella nobis appa-
ruit, reliquis multo splen-
didior stellis, cujus lumine
nostra terra est inflammata,
et quod Rex ortus sit, nobis
annuntiavit.

Nollem, vos quseso, lo-
quamini haec in regione
nostra, ne sentientes Reges
terrse, machinentur sua in-
vidia adyersus puerum.

Ne timeas, Virgo, quia
omnia diademata solvet Fi-
lms tuus, eaque pessumda-
bit, nee sua invidia nocu-
mentum inferreillivalebunt.

Herodem timeo, lupum
pollutum, ne me perturbet,
gladium stringat, quo prse-
cidat dulcem botrum adhuc
immaturum.

Herodem ne timeas : per
Filium enim tuum subver-
tetur ejus thronus, et statim
atque regnabit, destruetur,
et ejus diadema decidet.

Torrens sanguinis est Hie-
rusalem, in eaque optimi
quique cadunt : quare si
hoc praesenserit, machina-
bitur in ilium ; ideoque se-
creto loquamini, precor, et
ne tumultuetis.

Torrentes omnes, et lan-
cese etiam per manus Filii
tui sedabuntur, et Hieroso-

222

CHEISTMAS.

lymse obstupescet gladius,
et nisi voluerit, non cadet.

Scribse et sacerdotes Hie-
rusalem, qui sanguinem
subdole effundere solent,
excitabunt forte letliale li-
tigium adversum me, et
adversum puerum : Magi,
quaeso, silete.

Scribse et sacerdotes ne-
quaquaru valebunt sua in-
vidia Filio tuo nocere ; et
per ipsum solvetur eorurn
sacerdotium, et soleninitates
eorirm cessabunt.

Angelus apparuit milii,
quando concepi puerum ;
quod Rex sit Filius meus,
et quod ab alto sit ejus dia-
dema, et non solvetur, ipse
quoque explicavit mini ut
et vobis.

Angelus igitur, quern di-
cis, ipse venit sub specie
sideris et apparuit nobis,
atque annuntiavit quod
Puer major sit et splendi-
dior stellis.

Coram vobis ecce aperio
aliud arcanum, ut connr-
memini ; scilicet virgo pe-
peri filium, Filiumque Dei ;
euntes predicate ipsum.

Jam nos prsedocuit stella,
nativitatem ejus extra ordi-
nem esse naturas, et super
omnia esse Filium tuum,
eumdemque etiam Filium
esse Dei.

Pacem referte in terram
vestram ; pax gliscat in fini-
bus vestris : veraces veri-
tatis nuntii habeamini in
toto itinere vestro.

Son ; Jerusalem's sword shall
be stupefied, powerless to
strike, unless by his consent.

— The Scribes and Pharisees
of Jerusalem are skilled in
secret murders, and may stir
up some deadly purposes
'gainst me and the Child. Be
silent, Magi, I beseech you.

— Not so : the envious
Scribes and Pharisees shall not
have power to injure thy Child ;
nay, he will take away their
priesthood, and put an end to
their solemn feasts.

— An Angel appeared to me
when I conceived my Babe ;
he told me, as he told you,
that my Child is King, and
that his throne is from above,
and shall never have an end.

— This Angel, then, of whom
thou speakest, is he that ap-
peared to us under the figure
of the star, and told us that
thy Son is greater and brighter
than the stars.

— Lo, now, I will reveal to
you another secret, that you
may take fresh courage : I have
given birth to my Child, who
is the Son of God, and yet am
I a Virgin. Go forth, and
preach his name to the nations.

— All this was taught us by
the Star : it told us that his
birth was beyond the course
of nature, and that thy Son is
above all creatures, and that
he is the Son of God.

— Take peace back with you
to your land ; may peace be
in your territories ; may you
be the truthful messengers of
the Truth on all your journey.

JAN. 11. SIXTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE. 223

— May the peace of thy Son,
which, brought us hither, lead
us back safe to our country ;
and, when his kingdom shall
be declared to the world, may
he visit our land, and bless
it.

— May Persia rejoice at your
tidings, and Assyria be glad
in your return ; and when the
kingdom of my Son shall be
declared, he shall set his
standard in your land.

Pax Filii tui nos reducat
incolumes in regionem nos-
tram, ut duxit ; et cum im-
perium ejus mundo mani-
festabitur, invisat terram
nostram, et benedicat illi.

Gaudeat Persis vestro
nuntio, exsultet Assyria
vestro reditu ; et quando
regnum Filii mei manif esta-
bitur, in regione vestra
suum collocabit vexillum.

Let us turn to this tender Mother, and sing to her
this Hymn of the Greek Church, which breathes so
sweetly the unction and piety of St. Joseph the
Hymnographer.

XV. DIE JANUARII.

Tossed by the troublesome
attacks of my passions, as by
so many storms, and buffeted
by the blows of my sins as by
angry billows, I lovingly fly
to thy untiring protection, O
Maid most worthy of all praise.
Have pity on me, and save
me, 0 ever spotless Virgin !

When the God of purity
found thee, 0 spotless Virgin,
in the lowly valleys as the
Rose that breathes forth sweet
fragrance, he dwelt within
thee, and filled the human
race with the most delicious
perfume.

Turn the faculties of my
soul, O most pure one, to the
divine commandments of Him
who shone forth from thy
womb, and, by thy prayers,
deliver me from the storm of
this life's scandals.

Molestissimis passionum
insultibus, quasi tempesta-
tibus exagitatus, et peccato-
rum ictibus quasi fluctibus
concussus, ad indefessam
protectionem tuam confugio
cum affectu, o puella omni
laude dignissima : miserere
mei, et salva me, o Virgo
perpetua.

Cum te tamquam rosam
redolentem purus ille in
convallibus reperisset, o in-
violata ; in medio tui habi-
tavit, humanum genus sua-
vissimo replens odore.

Dirige motus animse meae,
o purissima, ad divina illius
prsecepta qui ex utero tuo
coruscavit, atque a tempes-
tate scandalorum hujus vitse
eripe me intercessionibus
tuis.

224

CHRISTMAS.

Omnium Dominum Em-
manuel sine viri opera pe-
peristi, manens Virgo post
partum, o Virgo mater.
Eumdem incessanter exora
ut ab hostium invasionibus
liberentur illi qui confu-
giunt sub protectionem
tuam.

Verbum quod sequale est
in operatione et in throno
Genitori suo, ex visceribus
tuis corporasti, o casta ; at-
que inde propter ineffabi-
lem misericordiam suam,
totam naturam nostram as-
sumpsit.

Prolem tuam laudamus,
o benedicta, per quam ab
antiqua damnatione re-
dempti sumus ; te vero bea-
tificamus, o divina felici-
tate cumulatissima ; quam
solam dilexit ille qui est be-
nedictus, ac supergioriosus.

Fluvium perennem nobis
effundis recurrentibus ad te,
o casta ; cujus uberem gra-
tiam delibantes, partum
tuum laudamus, o inviola-
tissima, et superexaltamus
in omnia ssecula.

Lucis habitaculum venter
tuus factus est, per quam
sedentes in tenebris vide-
runt lumen : unde te in-
cessabili voce semper lau-
damus, o Dei Mater ; et cum
affectu veneramur te spem
animarum nostrarum.

Thou didst virginally bring
forth our Emmanuel, the Lord
of all, O Virgin-Mother, and
didst remain a Virgin after
thy delivery. Pray to him
unceasingly, that they who fly
to thy protection, may be freed
from the attacks of their ene-
mies.

0 chaste Virgin ! thou didst,
from thy womb, clothe with a
human body Him who is the
Word, equal to his Father in
works and in majesty ; from
thee, by reason of his unspeak-
able mercy, did he assume our
entire human nature.

O Blessed Mother ! we
praise thy Son, who redeemed
us from the old curse. We
bless thee, 0 blessed by God
above all women, who art
loved above all by Him who
is blessed and glorious above
all.

Thou pourest forth an ever-
flowing stream on us who have
recourse to thee, 0 Virgin-
Mother ! Kefreshed by its
plentiful grace, we praise thy
Son, 0 purest Maid, and we
extol him above all for ever.

Thy womb was made the
dwelling-place of Light, where-
by they saw the light that sat
in darkness. Therefore, do we
ever praise thee with our un-
ceasing hymns, 0 Mother of
God, and devoutly venerate
thee, the hope of our hearts.

The Church makes commemoration, to-day, of the
holy Pope and Martyr Hyginus. He held the Apos-
tolic Chair under the reign of Antoninus, and closed

JAN. 11. SIXTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE. 225

his four-years' Pontificate by martyrdom. We have
no history of his life, but we venerate in him one of
the links of that grand chain of Pontiffs, which
unites us, by St. Peter, to our Lord Jesus Christ.
The whole weight of the government of the Church
was upon his shoulders, and he was courageous and
faithful in the discharge of his duties; his reign
was during the age of Persecution, when to be Pope
was to be a victim of tortures and death. As we
have already said, he soon won his Palm, and was
associated in heaven with the three Magi, who had,
before leaving this world, preached the gospel in
Greece, the country of our Saint. Let us ask him
to bless the offerino-s we are making to the Divine
Infant of Bethlehem, and to pray for us, that we may
obey this sweet King, who asks us to give him,
not our blood by martyrdom, but our hearts by
charity.

Let us honour the memory of this holy Pope, and
say with the Church :

Ant. This Saint fought,
even unto death, for the law
of his God, and feared not the
words of the wicked; for he
was set upon a firm rock.

LET US PRAY.

Have regard, 0 Almighty
God, to our weakness; and
whereas we sink under the
weight of our own doings, let
the glorious intercession of
blessed Hyginus, the Martyr
and Bishop, be a protection to
us. Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Ant. Iste Sanctus pro lege
Dei sui certavit usque ad
mortem, et a verbis impio-
rum non timuit ; fundatus
enim erat supra firmam pe-
tram.

OEEMTJS.

Infirmitatem nostram res-
pice, omnipotens Deus, et
quia pondus propria^ actio-
nis gravat, beati Hygini
Martyris tui atque Pontifi-
cis intercessio gloriosa nos
protegat. Per Christum Do-
minum nostrum. Amen.

(2)

Q

226 . CHRISTMAS.

January 12.
THE SEVENTH DAY

WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY.

Having laid their offerings at the feet of Jesus, as
the sign of the alliance they had, in the name of all
mankind, contracted with him, and laden with his
graces and blessings, the Magi take their leave of the
Divine Babe ; for such was his will. They take their
departure from Bethlehem, and the rest of the world
seems a wilderness to them. Oh ! if they might be
permitted to fix their abode near the new-born King
and his incomparable Mother ! — but no ; God's plan
for the salvation of the world requires that every-
thing savouring of human pomp and glory should be
far from Him, who had come to take upon himself
all our miseries.

Besides, they are to be the first messengers of the
Gospel ; they must go and tell to the Gentiles that
the Mystery of Salvation has begun, that the earth is
in possession of its Saviour, and that their salvation
is nigh at hand. The Star does not return to them ;
they needed it to find Jesus ; but, now, they have
him in their hearts, and will never lose him. These
three men are sent back into the midst of the Gen-
tile-world, as the leaven of the Gospel, which, not-
withstanding its being so little, is to leaven the whole
paste.1 For their sakes, God will bless the nations

1 St. Matth. xiii. 33.

JAN". 12. SEVENTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE. 227

of the earth; from this day forward, infidelity will
lose ground, and faith will progress ; and, when the
Blood of the Lamb having been shed, Baptism shall
be promulgated, the Magi shall be, not merely men
of desire, but perfect Christians, initiated into all the
Mysteries of the Church.

The ancient tradition, which is quoted by the
author of The Imperfect Work on St. Matthew,
which is put in all the editions of St. John Chrysos-
tom, and was probably written about the close of the
6th century — tells us that the three Magi were bap-
tised by St. Thomas the Apostle, and devoted them-
selves to the preaching of the Gospel. But we
scarcely need a tradition on such a point as this.
The vocation of these three Princes could never be
limited to the mere privilege of being the first, among
the Gentiles, to visit the eternal King, who had come
down from heaven to be born on this earth and show
himself to his creatures ; a second vocation was the
consequence of the first, the vocation of preaching
Jesus to men.

There are many details relating to the life and
actions of the Magi, after they had become Chris-
tians, which have been handed down to us ; but we
refrain from mentioning them, as not being suffi-
ciently ancient or important traditions, to have in-
duced the Church to give them place in her Liturgy.
We would make the same observation with regard to
the names assigned to them of Melchior, Gaspar,
and Balthassar ; the custom of thus naming them is
too modern to deserve credit ; and though it might
be indiscreet to deny that these were their true
names, it seems very difficult to give proofs of their
correctness.

The Relics of these holy Kings were translated
from Persia to Constantinople, under the first chris-
tian Emperors, and, for a long time, were kept in the
Church of Saint Sophia. At a later period, they were

228 chUtstmas.

translated to Milan, when Eustorgius was Bishop of
that City. There they remained till the 12th century,
when, through the influence of the Emperor Frederic
Barbarossa, they were translated to the Cathedral
Church of Cologne, by Reynold, Archbishop of that
metropolitan See. The Relics are in a magnificent
Shrine, perhaps the finest specimen now extant
of medieval metallic-art, and the superb Cathedral,
where it is religiously kept, is, by its size and archi-
tectural beauty, one of the grandest Churches of the
Christian world.

Thus have we followed you, O blessed Magi !
Fathers of the Gentile- world ! from your first setting
out from the East for Bethlehem, to your return to
your own country, and even to your sacred resting-
place, which the goodness of God has made to be in
this cold West of ours. It was the love of children
for their parents that made us thus cling to you.
Besides, were we not ourselves in search of that dear
King, whom you so longed for and found ? Blessed
be those ardent desires of yours, blessed be your
obedience to the guidance of the Star, blessed be
your devotion at the Crib of Jesus, blessed be the
gifts you made him, which while they were accep-
table to God were full of instruction to us ! We re-
vere you as Prophets, for you foretold the charac-
ters of the Messias by the selection of your three
gifts. We honour you as Apostles, for you preached,
even to Jerusalem herself, the Birth of the humble
Jesus of Bethlehem, of that Jesus whom his Disciples
preached not till after the triumph of his Resur-
rection. We hail you as the Spring-Flowers of the
Gentile-world, but Flowers which produced abundant
and rich fruits, for you brought over entire nations
and countless people to the service of our divine
King. Watch over us, and protect the Church. Be
mindful of those Eastern countries, whence rises to
the earth the light of day, the beautiful image of

JAN. 12. SEVENTH DAT WITHIN THE OCTAVE. 229

your own journey towards Bethlehem. Bless this
Western world of ours, which was buried in darkness
when you first saw the Star, and is now the favoured
portion of God's earth, and on which the Divine
Sun of Justice pours forth his brightest and warmest
rays. Faith has grown weak among us ; re-enkindle
it. Obtain of the divine mercy, that the West may
ever send forth her messengers of salvation to the
south, and north, and even to that infidel East, where
are laid the tents of Sem, and where the light that
you gave her has been long extinguished by her
apostacy. Pray for the Church of Cologne, that
illustrious sister of our holiest Churches in the
West ; may she preserve the faith, may she defend
her sacred rights and liberty ; may she be the bul-
wark of Catholic Germany, and be ever blessed by
the protection of her Three Kings, and the patron-
age of the glorious Ursula and her virginal army.
Lastly, we beseech you, 0 venerable Magi ! to intro-
duce us to the Infant Jesus, and his Blessed Mother ;
and grant us to go through these forty days, which
the Church consecrates to the Mystery of Christmas,
with hearts burning with love for the Divine Child,
and may that same love abide with us during the
pilgrimage of our life on this earth.

Te-day, also, we will make use of the formulas
employed by the several ancient Churches in honour
of the Mystery of the Epiphany. Our first selection
is a Hymn written by the great Fulbert of Chartres.

HYMN.

" I bring you tidings from Nuntium vobis fero de

" heaven above : Christ, the supernis ;

" Ruler of the earth, is born Natus est Christus, Domi-

" in Bethlehem of Juda : for nator orbis,

" thus was it foretold by the In Bethlehem Judae ; sic

" Prophet." enim Propheta

Dixerat ante. <

230

CHRISTMAS.

Hunc canit laetus chorus
Angelorum,
Stella declarat, veniunt Eoi
Principes, dignum celebrare
cultum,

Mystica dona.
Thus Deo, myrrham tri-
buunt sepulchro,
Auream Regi speciem de-

centi,
Dum colunt unum, memi-
nere Trino
Tres dare tenia.

Gloriam trinse monadi
canamus,
Cum Deo divas Genitore

Proli,
Flamini necnon ab utroque
fuso
Corde fideli. Amen.

Thus sing the glad choir of
Angels ; the same is an-
nounced by the Star, and the
Eastern Kings come to offer
to Jesus the worthy homage
of their mystic gifts.

They offer their Frankin-
cense to him as to their God ;
the Myrrh honours his sepul-
chre ; the Gold is the token of
his Kingly character. Whilst
thus worshipping One, the
three offerers give three gifts
to the Blessed Three.

Let us, too, sing praise to
our Tri-Une God : glory to the
Father, and to his divine Son,
and to the Holy Spirit, who
is sent into the hearts of the
faithful by the Father and the
Son. Amen.

The two following Prayers are taken from the
Mozarabic Breviary.

PRAYER.

Tu es, Domine, stella ve-
ritatis oriens ex Jacob, ho-
mo que consurgens ex Israel :
et in novo sidere ostenderis
Deus, et in prassepio positus
Deus et homo, unus crccleris
Christus: propter magnam
inisericordiam tuam visionis
tuae nobis proroga gratiam :
appareat in nobis lucis tuse
radiabile signum, quod ex-
pellat omnes tenebras vitio-
rum : ut, qui visionis tuse
desiderio anhelamus, visio-
nis tuge prsemio consolemur.
Amen.

Thou, 0 Lord, art the Star
of truth, that riseth out of
Jacob, and the Man thau
springeth from. Israel. In the
new Star thou showest thyself
as God, and, lying in the Crib
God and Man, we confess thee
to be the one Christ. In thy
great mercy, grant us the grace
of seeing thee, and show unto
us the radiant sign of thy
light, whereby all the darkness
of our sins may be put to
flight : that so, we who now
languish with the desire of
seeing thee, may be refreshed
with the enjoyment of that
blissful vision. Amen.

JAN. 12. SEVENTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE. 231

PRAYER.

The heavens are shining
with the clear beauty of the
stars, O Lord, and the very
earth is made beautiful by a
shining light, because thou
didst vouchsafe to appear to
the world from out thy holy
dwelling-place. Remove, there-
fore, from our hearts all sad-
ness, for unto this end art thou
come, that thou mayest make
all things new. Grant also
that light unto our eyes, which
may purify us and fit us to
behold thee for ever. That
thus, we who preach to the
nations the glad joys of thy
Apparition, may be made glad
with thee in infinite joy.
Amen.

We take the following Sequence from the ancient
Missals of the Churches of Germany.

SEQUENCE.

Fulget, Domine, ccelum
rutilum serenitate astrorum,
terraque ipsa refulgenti lu-
mine serenatur, quia appa-
rere dignatus es mundo de
habitaculo sancto tuo ; sana
ergo cordis nostri mcesti-
tiam, quia ad hoc venisti, ut
redimas universa : illudque
nostris oculis lumen attri-
bue, quo te purificati sem-
per mereamur aspicere : ut
qui Apparitionis tuse gaudia
lsetabunda nuntiamus in
gentibus, infinita tecum
laetitia gaudeamus. Amen.

Our Saviour is born unto
us ! Let us solemnly cele-
brate his Birth-Day.

To us was he given, unto us
was he born, and with us has
he lived, He the light and sal-
vation of the Gentiles.

In the beginning, Eve caused
our death ; but Jesus, by the
merits of the human nature
he assumed, has redeemed us.

Our first mother brought us
woe ; but Mary joyfully
brought forth for us the fruit
of life.

We neglected our heavenly
Father, but he did not neglect
us ; he looked down upon us
from heaven, and sent us his
only Son.

Nato nobis Salvatore
Celebremus cum honore
Diem natalitium.

Nobis datus, nobis natus,
Et nobiscum conversatus,
Lux et salus gentium.

Eva prius interemit ;
Sed Salvator nos redemit
Carnis suae merito.

Prima parens nobis luc-
tum,
Sed Maria vitae fructum
Protulit cum gaudio.

Negligentes non neglexit,
Sed ex alto nos prospexit
Pater mittens Filium.

232

CHRISTMAS.

Praesens mundo, sed abs-
consus,
De secreto tamquam spon-

sus
Prodiit in publicum.

Gigas velox, gigas fortis,
Gigas nostrae victor mortis,
Accinctus potentia.

Adcurrendam venit viam,
Complens in se prophetiam
Et Legis mysteria.

Jesu, nostra salutaris
Medicina, singularis
Nostra pax et gloria ;

Quia servis redimendis
Tarn decenter condescendis,
Te collaudant omnia.

Amen.

This Jesus, though in the
world, was hidden from the
world ; but, at length, he came
forth, as a Bridegroom from
the nuptial chamber, and made
himself known.

He is the Giant foretold by
the Psalmist — swift, and
strong, and vanquishing our
death, for he was girt with
power.

He came that he might run
his course, and so verify the
prophecy, and the mysteries
of the Law.

Jesus, thou our saving me-
dicine, our only Peace and
glory !

May all creatures give thee
praise, for that thou didst so
mercifully condescend to re-
deem us thy servants !

Amen.

This beautiful canticle in honour of the Infant
Jesus is from the pen of St. Ephrern, the sublime
bard of the Syrian Church.

HYMN".

Hebraeae virgines assuetae
alias Jeremise Threnos re-
cantare, pro lugubri sua-
rum Scripturarum carmine,
indidem acceptos laetitiae
hymnos hujusmodi refude-
runt, Spiritu ipsarum ora
movente :

Laeta jam nunc oculos ab
inferis attollat Eva hunc
visura diem, in quo ipskis
nepos vitae auctor descendit
extinctam Matris suae geni-
tricem excitaturus. Ado-

The Hebrew maidens, who
heretofore had been wont to
chant the Lamentations of
Jeremias in the plaintive strain
of their Scriptures, now bor-
rowed from the same holy
volume joyful thoughts, and,
under the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit, sang them thus
in hymns :

" Let Eve, in Limbo, now
raise up her eyes, and see this
day, whereon one of her race,
and He the author of life,
descends to raise up from
death the mother of his own

JAN. 12. SEVENTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE. 233

dear Mother. The adorable
Infant crushed the head of
the serpent, by whose poison
Eve had perished.

" Sara, the fair Isaac's mo-
ther, foresaw thine Infancy,

0 Jesus, in her own son's
crib ; the lullaby she sang
over him told the mysteries of
thy Childhood, which were
foreshadowed and prefigured
in her own child. Thus did
she sing : ' Sweet Babe ! fruit
' of my prayers ! I see in thee
'the Lord, who is hidden in

1 thee as in his type : 'tis He
' receives the wishes and the
' prayers of pious hearts, and
' grants them their requests.'

" The Nazarite Samson, the
youth of exceeding strength,
was a figure of thy strength,
0 Jesus ! He tore a lion to
pieces, typifying the death
thou didst slay, for thou didst
crush death, and from its bit-
ter entrails didst draw forth
life, whose taste would be
most sweet to us.

"Anna, too, pressed Thee
to her bosom in the person of
Samuel the Prophet, who was
twice a figure of thy ministry ;
firstly, when he prefigured thy
most just severity on the day
when he slew King Agag, the
figure of the devil, and cut
him to pieces; secondly, by
imitating thy mercy, though
imperfectly, when he unceas-
ingly shed his tears of loving
and sincere compassion over
the fall of Saul.

randus puer caput serpen-
tis contudit, cujus ilia olim
infecta veneno periit.

A cunis decori Isaac, Sara
mater tuam speculabatur
infantiam, teque illo adum-
bratum suo mulcebat cantu ;
relegensque infantias tuse
mysteria in eo puero ex-
pressa : Euge, fili, votorum
fructus meorum, cantabat •
jam nunc video in te, qui
latet in te Dominum, om-
nium piorum vota preces-
que suscipiens, et ratas ef-
ficiens.

Nazarseus Samson juvenis
fortissimus tuse fortitudinis
umbra fuit ; leonem lacera-
vit, mortis quam concidisti
typum ; rupisti scilicet mor-
tem, vitamque ex ejus ama-
rissimo ventre exclusisti,
cujus usura nobis futura
erat jucundissima.

Anna pariter te in Sa-
muele figuratum, suo non
semel pectori oppressit,
turn primum, quando tuam
prsesensit justissimam seve-
ritatem ab illo reprsesenta-
tam eo die, quo regem
Agag in frusta dissectum
occidit, expressam diaboli
imaginem : turn iterum,
quando tuam contemplaba-
tur clementiam ab eodem
velut rudiore manu de-
scriptam, eo tempore quo
Saiilis ruinam piis et veris
lacrymis lugere non de-
stitit.

234

CHRISTMAS.

The Mensea of the Greek Church furnish us with
these beautiful stanzas, in honour of the Holy Mo-
ther of God.

XVI. DIE JANUAEII.

Terra inarata apparuisti,
o augustissima, quae spicam
nobis protulisti, universi
nutritorem Dominum Je-
sum, ex quo nos comeden-
tes, ad vitam revocamur.

Deum ex te incariiatum
videntes, o Virgo casta,
Deiparam te proprie confi-
temur, quae omnium refor-
mationis, absque ulla dubi-
tatione, causa fuisti.

Superessentialis ille, qui
carnis erat expers, ex vene-
randis sanguinibus tuis in-
carnatus est, o castissima;
et caro sine ulla mutatione
factus, cum hominibus con-
versatus est.

Naturae leges in te, o pu-
rissima Virgo, revera inno-
vantur : Virgo quippe post
partum manes, velut ante
partum, Christum legislato-
rem enixa.

Miserabilis animal meae
passionibus medere, o Dei
Genitrix castissima ; men-
tem tranquilla hostilibus
invasionibus velut tempes-
tatibus jactatam, et cor
meum pacatum redde, o
puella.

Kosam in medio spina-
rum te vere invenit in hu-
jus mundi convallibus, o
casta Virgo, Jesus omnium

0 most august Queen ! thou
wast the untilled land that
gavest us our Wheat, Jesus,
the Lord and feeder of the
universe ; by eating this Bread
we are restored to life.

Seeing our Lord made in-
carnate from thee, chaste
Virgin ! we confess thee to
be in very deed the Mother of
God, that didst thus become,
we hesitate not to proclaim it,
the cause of the regeneration
of all things.

He, the Being above all
beings, who was a pure spirit,
took flesh to himself from thy
pure blood, 0 Spotless Maid !
and, remaining God as before,
he was made Flesh, and lived
among men.

Nature's laws were truly
suspended in thee, most pure
Virgin ! for thou remain-
est a Virgin after thy de-
livery, as thou wast before it,
for thou didst give birth to
Him who is the giver of all
laws, Christ.

Spotless Mother of God !
heal the passions of my wretch-
ed soul : appease my mind,
tossed by the attacks of my
enemy as with tempests, and
bring, O Virgin, peace unto
my heart.

Jesus, the divine Husband-
man of the world, found thee,
chaste Virgin ! in the lowly
valley of this earth, growing

JAN. 12. SEVENTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE. 235

as a Rose amidst thorns. He
entered thy womb, and was
born of thee, refreshing us
with the delicious fragrance of
the knowledge of divine things.

O Virgin Mary ! we acknow-
ledge thee to be the mystic
candlestick, on which was
placed the Light inaccessible ;
thereby, thou hast enlightened
the minds of all the faithful,
and hast put to flight the dark-
ness of sin.

Thus do we cry out to thee
in words of thankful love:
Hail, most pure dwelling of
spiritual Light ! Hail, cause
of our union with God ! Hail,
destroyer of the curse ! Hail,
O thou that didst call from
their exile the children of this
earth !

plantator, atque ex utero
tuo natus, nos divinae cogni-
tionis suavissimo perfudit
odore.

Te spirituale candela-
brum, quae lucem inacces-
sibilem suscepisti, agnovi-
mus, o Virgo Maria, quae
omnium ficlelium animos
illuminasti, et peccati tene-
bras eliminasti.

Vocibus gratiarum actio-
ne plenis ad te clamamus :
Ave, immaterialis, lucis ha-
bitaculum purissimum ; ave,
causa deihcationis omni-
um ; ave, maledictionis dis-
solutio ; ave, terrigenarum
expulsorum revocatio.

236 CHRISTMAS.

January 13.
THE OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY.

The thoughts of the Church, to-day, are fixed on the
Baptism of our Lord in the Jordan, which is the
second of the three Mysteries of the Epiphany. The
Emmanuel manifested himself to the Magi, after
having shown himself to the Shepherds ; but this
manifestation was made within the narrow space of
a stable at Bethlehem, and the world knew nothing of
it. In the Mystery of the Jordan, Christ manifested
himself with greater publicity. His coming is pro-
claimed by the Precursor ; the crowd, that is flocking
to the river for Baptism, is witness of what happens;
Jesus makes this the beginning of his public life.
But who could worthily explain the glorious circum-
stances of this second Epiphany \

It resembles the first in this, that it is for the
benefit and salvation of the human race. The Star
has led the Magi to Christ ; they had long waited for
his coming, they had hoped for it ; now, they believe.
Faith in the Messias' having come into the world is
beginning to take root among the Gentiles. But faith
is not sufficient for salvation ; the stain of sin must
be washed away by water. He that believeth and is
baptised, shall be saved.1 The time is come, then, for
a new manifestation of the Son of God, whereby
there shall be inaugurated the great remedy, which is
to give to Faith the power of producing life eternal.

Now, the decrees of divine Wisdom had chosen

1 St. Mark, xvi. 16.

JAN. 13. THE OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY. 237

Water as the instrument of this sublime regeneration
of the human race. Hence, in the beginning of the
world, we find the Spirit of God moving over the
Waters,1 in order that they might "even then conceive
" a principle of sanctifying power," as the Church
expresses it in her Office for Holy Saturday.2 But,
before being called to fulfil the designs of God's
mercy, this element of Water had to be used by the
divine justice for the chastisement of a sinful world.
With the exception of one family, the whole human
race perished, by the terrible judgment of God, in the
Waters of the Deluge.

A fresh indication of the future supernatural power
of this chosen element was given by the Dove, which
Noe sent forth from the Ark ; it returned to him,
bearing in its beak an Olive-branch, the symbol that
peace was given to the earth by its having been buried
in Water. But, this was only the announcement of
the mystery ; its accomplishment was not to be for
long ages to come.

Meanwhile, God spoke to his people by many
events, which were figurative of the future Mystery
of Baptism. Thus, for example, it was by passing
through the waters of the Red Sea, that they entered
into the Promised Land, and during the miraculous
passage, a pillar of a cloud was seen covering both the
Israelites, and the Waters, to which they owed their
deliverance.

But, in order that Water should have the power to
purify man from his sins, it was necessary that it
should be brought in contact with the sacred Body of
the Incarnate God. The Eternal Father had sent
his Son into the world, not only that he might be its
Lawgiver, and Redeemer, and the Victim of its sal-
vation— but that he might also be the Sanctifier of
Water ; and it was in this sacred element that he

1 Gen. i. 2. 2 The Blessing of the Font.

238 CHRISTMAS.

would divinely bear testimony to his being his Son,
and manifest him to the world a second time.

Jesus, therefore, being now thirty years of age,
comes to the Jordan, a river already celebrated for
the prophetic miracles which had been wrought in
its waters. The Jewish people, roused by the preach-
ing of John the Baptist, were nocking thither in
order to receive a Baptism, which could, indeed, excite
a sorrow for sin, but could not effect its forgiveness.
Our divine King approaches the river, not, of course,
to receive sanctincation, for he himself is the author
of all justice — but to impart to Water the power of
bringing forth, as the Church expresses the mystery,
a new and heavenly progeny.1 He goes down into
the stream, not, like Josue, to walk dry-shod through
its bed, but to let its waters encompass him, and
receive from him, both for itself and for the Waters
of the whole earth, the sanctifying power which they
would retain for ever. The saintly Baptist places hit:
trembling hand upon the sacred head of the Redeemer,
and bends it beneath the water ; the Sun of Justice
vivifies this his creature ; he imparts to it the glow
of life-giving fruitfulness ; and Water thus becomes
the prolific source of supernatural life.

But, in this the commencement of a new creation,
we look for the intervention of the Three Persons of
the Blessed Trinity. All Three are there. The
heavens open ; the Dove descends, not, as a mere
symbol, prophetic of some future grace, but as the
sign of the actual presence of the Holy Ghost, the
Spirit of love, who gives peace to men and changes
their hearts. The Dove hovers above the head of
Jesus, overshadowing, at one and the same time, the
Humanity of the Incarnate Word and the water
which bathed his sacred Body.

The manifestation is not complete ; the Father's

1 The Blessing of the Font.

JAN. 13. THE OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY. 239

voice is still to be heard speaking over the Water,
and moving by its power the entire element through-
out the earth. Then was fulfilled the prophecy of
David : The Voice of the Lord is upon the waters ;
the God of majesty hath thundered. The Voice of
the Lord breaketh cedars, (that is, the pride of the
devils). The Voice of the Lord divideth the flame of
fire, (that is, the anger of God). The Voice of the
Lord shaketh the desert, and maketh the flood to chuell,
(that is, announces a new Deluge, the Deluge of divine
Mercy).1 And what says this Voice of the Father?
This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.2

Thus was the Holiness of the Emmanuel mani-
fested by the presence of the Dove and by the voice
of the Father, as his Kingly character had been pre-
viously manifested by the mute testimony of the
Star. The mystery is accomplished, the Waters are
invested with a spiritual purifying power, and Jesus
comes from the Jordan and ascends the bank, raising
up with himself the world, regenerated and sanctified,
with all its crimes and defilements drowned in the
stream. Such is the interpretation and language of
the Holy Fathers of the Church regarding this great
event of our Lord's Life.

The Feast of the Epiphany celebrates this wonder-
ful mystery of Jesus' Baptism ; and we cannot wonder
at the Eastern Church having selected this Day for
one of the solemn administrations of the sacrament
of Baptism. The same custom was observed, as we
learn from ancient documents, in certain Churches in
the West. John Mosch tells us, that, as regards the
Oriental Church, the Font was more than once mira-
culously filled with water on the Feast of the Epi-
phany, and that immediately after having adminis-
tered the Sacrament, the people saw the water
disappear. The Roman Church, even so early as the

1 Ps. cxxviii. 3, 5, 7, 8, 10. 2 St. Matth. iii. 17.

240 CHRISTMAS.

time of St. Leo, decreed that Easter and Pentecost
should be the only two days for the solemn adminis-
tration of Baptism ; but the custom of blessing the
baptismal water with great solemnity on the Epi-
phany was still retained, and is observed even now
in some parts of the West.

The Eastern Church has always religiously observed
it. Amidst all the pomp of sacred rites, accompanied
by his Priests and Ministers, who are clothed in the
richest vestments, and followed by the whole people,
the Bishop repairs to the banks of a river. After
reciting certain beautiful prayers, which we regret
not being able to offer to our readers, the Bishop
plunges into the water a Cross richly adorned with
precious stones ; it represents our Lord being baptised
by St. John. At St. Petersburg, the ceremony takes
place on the river Neva, and it is through a hole
made on the ice that the Metropolitan dips the Cross
into the water. This same ceremony is observed by
those Churches in the West, which have retained the
custom of blessing the baptismal water on this Feast.

The faithful are very anxious to carry home with
them the water of the stream thus sanctified ; and St.
John Chrysostom, in his twenty-fourth Homily, on
the Baptism of Christ, speaks to his audience of the
circumstance, which was well known by all of them,
of this water never turning corrupt. The same has
been often seen in the Western Church.

Let us honour our Lord in this second Manifesta-
tion of his divinity, and thank him, with the Church,
for his having given us both the Star of Faith which
enlightens us, and the Water of Baptism which
cleanses -us from our iniquities. Let us lovingly
appreciate the humility of our Jesus, who permits
himself to be weighed down by the hand of a mortal
man, in order, as he says himself, that he might fulfil
all justice ,J for having taken on himself the likeness

1 St. Matth. iii. 15.

JAN. 13. THE OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY. 241

of sin, it was requisite that he should bear its humi-
liation, that so he might raise us from our debase-
ment. Let us thank him for this grace of Baptism,
which has opened to us the gates of the Church both
of heaven and earth ; and let us renew the engage-
ments we made at the holy Font, for they were the
terms on which we were regenerated to our new life
in God.

MASS OF THE OCTAVE OF THE
EPIPHANY.

The Introit, Epistle, Gradual and Alleluia- Yerse,
Offertory, Preface, and Communion, are the same as
on the Feast.

INTEOIT.

Behold the Lord the ruler is Ecce advenit dominator

come ; and dominion, power, Domimis ; et regnum in

and empire are in his hand. manu ejus, et potestas, et

imperium.

Ps. Give to the king thy Ps. Deus, judicium tuum

judgment, O God, and to the Eegi da, et justitiam tuam

king's son thy justice. $". filio Regis. "ft. Gloria Patri.

Glory. Behold. Ecce advenit.

In the Collect, the Church prays that her children
may have the grace of becoming like to Jesus, who
appeared in the Jordan, filled, indeed, with the Holy
Ghost, and the object of the Heavenly Father's love,
but, at the same time, truly Man like us, and faith-
ful in the fulfilment of all justice.

COLLECT.

0 God, whose Only Begotten Deus, cujus Unigenitus
Son appeared in the substance in substantia nostrae carnis
of our flesh : grant, we beseech apparuit : prsesta, qusesu-
thee, that we may be interiorly mus, ut per eum, quern si-
reformed by him, whom we milem nobis foris agnovi-
confess to have outwardly mus, intus reformari me-
taken our flesh on himself, reamur. Qui tecum.
Who liveth, &c.

(2) R

242

CHRISTMAS.

EPISTLE.

Lectio Isaise Prophetse.

Cap. LX.

Surge, illuminare, Jeru-
salem ; quia venit lumen
tuum, et gloria Domini su-
per te orta est. Quia ecce
tenebrse operient terrain, et
caligo populos ; super te
autem orietur Dominus, et
gloria ejus in te videbitur.
Et ambulabunt gentes in
lumine tuo, et Reges in
splendore ortus tui. Leva
in circuitu oculos tuos, et
vide : omnes isti congregati
sunt, venerunt tibi ; rllii tui
de longe venient, et filice tuse
de latere surgent. Tunc vi-
debis et afrlues, et mirabi-
tur et dilatabitur cor tuum,
quando conversa fuerit ad
te multitudo maris, fortitu-
do gentium venerit tibi.
Inundatio camelorum ope-
riet te, dromadarii Madian
et Epha. Omnes de Saba
venient, aurum et thus de-
ferentes, et laudem Domino
annuntiantes.

Lesson from Isaias the
Prophet.
Ch. LX.

Arise, be enlightened, 0 Je-
rusalem ; for thy light is come,
and the glory of the Lord is
risen upon thee. For behold
darkness shall cover the earth,
and a mist the people ; but the
Lord shall arise upon thee, and
his glory shall be seen upon
thee. And the Gentiles shall
walk in thy light, and Kings
in the brightness of thy rising.
Lift up thine eyes round about,
and see : all these are gathered
together, they are come to thee ;
thy sons shall come from afar,
and thy daughters shall rise up
at thy side. Then shalt thou
see and abound, and thy heart
shall wonder and be enlarged,
when the multitude of the sea
shall be converted to thee, the
strength of the Gentiles shall
come to thee. The multitude
of camels shall cover thee, the
dromedaries of Madian and
Epha : all they from Saba shall
come, bringing gold and frank-
incense, and showing forth
praise to the Lord.

GEADUAL.

Omnes de Saba venient.

aurum et thus deferentes

et laudem Domino annun- cense

tiantes.

ff. Surge et illuminare,
Jerusalem, quia gloria Do-
mini super te orta est.

Alleluia, alleluia.

~ff. Vidimus stellam ejus
in Oriente, et venimus cum
muneribus adorare Dorni-
num. Alleluia.

All shall come from Saba,
bringing gold and frankin-
and publishing the
praises of the Lord.

ff. Arise, and be enlightened,
0 Jerusalem, for the glory of
the Lord is risen upon thee.

Alleluia, alleluia.

ff. We saw his star in the
East, and are come, with our
offerings, to adore the Lord.
Alleluia.

JAN. 13. THE OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY. 243

GOSPEL.

Sequel of the holy Gospel
according to John.

Ch. I.

At that time : John saw
Jesus coming to him, and he
saith: Behold the Lamb of God,
behold him who taketh away
the sins of the world. This is he
of whom I said : After me there
cometh a man, who is preferred
before me ; because he was be-
fore me. And I knew him not,
but that he may be made mani-
fest in Israel, therefore am I
come baptising with water.
And John gave testimony, say-
ing : I saw the Spirit coming
down as a dove from heaven,
and he remained upon him.
And I knew him not ; but he
who sent me to baptise with
water, said to me : He upon
whom thou shalt see the Spirit
descending and remaining
upon him, he it is that bap-
tiseth with the Holy Ghost.
And I saw : and I gave testi-
mony, that this is the Son of
God.

Sequentia sancti Evangelii
secundum Joannem.

Cap. I.
In illo tempore : vidit Jo-
annes Jesum venientem ad
se, et ait : Ecce Agnus Dei,
ecce qui tollit peccatum
mundi. Hie est de quo dixi :
Post me venit vir, qui ante
me factus est ; quia prior
me erat. Et ego nesciebam
eum ; sed ut manifestetur
in Israel, propterea veni ego
in aqua baptizans. Et testi-
monium perhibuit Joannes,
dicens : Qui vidi Spiritual
descendentem quasi colum-
bam de ccelo, et mansit
super eum. Et ego nescie-
bam eum, sed qui misit me
baptizare in aqua, ille mihi
dixit : Super quern videris
Spiritum descendentem, et
manentem super eum, hie
est qui baptizat in Spiritu
Sancto. Et ego vidi : et testi-
monium perhibui, quia hie
est Filius Dei.

0 Lamb of God I thou didst enter into the stream
to purify it, the Dove came down from heaven, for
thy sweet meekness attracted the Spirit of love ; and
having sanctified the Waters, the mystery of thy
Baptism was over. But, what tongue can express
the prodigy of mercy effected by it ! Men have gone
down, after thee, into the stream made sacred by
contact with thee ; they return regenerated ; they
were wolves, and Baptism has transformed them into
lambs. We were defiled by sin, and were unworthy
to stand near thee, the spotless Lamb; but the
waters of the holy Font have been poured upon us,

244 CHEISTMAS.

and we are made as the sheep of the Canticle, which
come up from the washing fruitful, and none is
barren among them y1 or, as doves upon the brooks
of water, white and spotless as though they had
been washed with milk, sitting near the plentiful
streams !2 Preserve us, 0 Jesus, in this white robe
which thou hast put upon us. If, alas ! we have
tarnished its purity, cleanse us by that second Bap-
tism, the Baptism of Penance. Permit us, too, dear
Lord, to intercede for those countries to whom thy
Gospel has not yet been preached ; let this river of
peace,3 the waters of Baptism, flow out upon them,
and inundate the whole earth. We beseech thee,
by the glory of thy manifestation at thy Baptism,
forget the crimes of men, which have hitherto caused
the Gospel to be kept from those unhappy countries.
Thy heavenly Father bids every creature hear thee ;
speak, dear Jesus ! to every creature.

OFFERTORY.

Eeges Tharsis et insulae The Kings of Tharsis and the

nrunera offerent, Reges Ara- islands shall offer presents, the

bum et Saba dona adducent: Kings of the Arabians and of

et adorabunt eum omnes Saba shall bring gifts : and all

Eeges terrse ; omnes gentes the Kings of the earth shall

servient ei. adore him j all nations shall

serve him.

In the Secret, the Church once more proclaims the
divine Manifestation, and begs that the Lamb, who,
by his Sacrifice, has enabled us to offer God an
acceptable oblation, may graciously receive it at our
hands.

SECRET.

Hostias tibi, Domine, pro We offer sacrifice to thee, 0

nati Filii tui Apparitione Lord, in remembrance of the

deferimus, suppliciter exo- Manifestation of thy Son, hum-

rantes ; ut sicut ipse nos- bly beseeching thee ; that as

trorum auctor est mune- our Lord Jesus Christ is the

1 Cant. iv. 2. 2 Ibid. v. 12. 3 Is. lxvi. 12.

JAN. 13. THE OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY. 245

author of what we offer, so he rum, ita sit ipse misericors
may mercifully receive the et susceptor, Jesus Christus
same. Who liveth, &c. Dominus noster. Qui tecum.

COMMUNION".

We have seen his star in the Vidimus stellam ejus in
East, and are come with offer- Oriente, et venimus cum
ings to adore the Lord. muneribus adorare Domi-

num.

"While giving thanks for the heavenly nourishment
just received, the holy Church prays for the unceas-
ing help of that divine Light, which has appeared to
her, and which will enable her to contemplate the
purity of the Lamb, and to love him as he deserves.

POSTCOMMUNION.

May thy heavenly light, we Ccelesti lumine, qusesu-
beseech thee, O Lord, go be- mus, Domine, semper et
fore us at all times, and in all ubique nos prseveni ; ut
places ; that we may contem- mysterium, cujus nos par-
plate with a clear sight, and ticipes esse voluisti, et puro
receive with due affection, the cernamus intuitu, et digno
mystery whereof thou hast percipiamus affectu. Per
been pleased we should par- Dominum.
take. Through, <kc.

Let us, once more, sing the praises of the divine
Epiphany — the Theophany. Let us make a concert,
as it were, of the Liturgies of all the Churches. St.
Hilary of Poitiers shall be our first chanter, in the
Hymn he has written on the three mysteries of this
great Octave.

HYMN".

Jesus, the merciful Redeemer Jesus refulsit omnium

of all nations, shone forth on Pius Redemptor gentium ;

this day ; let the faithful of Totum genus fidelium

every race celebrate him in Laudes celebret dramatum.
their songs of praise.

A Star, shining in the hea- Quern stella natum ful-

vens, announces his Birth; gida

it leads the way, and guides Monstrat micans in sethera,

them to his Crib. Magosque ducit praevia

Ipsius ad cunabula.

246

CHRISTMAS.

Illi cadentes parvulum
Pannis adorant obsitum,
Verum fatentur ut Deum,
Munus ferendo mysticum.

Denis ter armorum cyclis,
Jam parte vivens temporis,
Lympham petit baptismatis,
Cunctis carens contagiis.

Felix Joannes mergere
Ilium tremiscit flumine,
Potest suo qui sanguine
Peccata cosmi tergere.

Vox ergo Prolem de polis
Testatur excelsa Patris,
Virtus adestque Pneumatis,
Sancti datrix charismatis.

Nos, Cliriste, subnixa prece
Omnes, precamur, protege,
Qui prsecipis rubescere
Aquas potenter hydrise.

Laus Trinitati debita,
Honor, potestas omnium,
Perenniter sint omnia
Per sssculorum ssecula.
Amen.

Prostrating, they adore the
Infant wrapped in swaddling
clothes ; they confess him to
be the true God, offering him
their mystic gifts.

Thirty years of his life
had passed, and He, the infi-
nitely pure God, seeks the
laver of baptism.

John, the favoured Baptist,
trembles as he bends the head
of Jesus beneath the waters —
that Jesus whose Blood was to
purify the whole earth from
its sins.

The divine voice of the
Father is heard from heaven,
bearing testimony to his Son ;
and the Holy Spirit, too, is
present, the giver of holy grace.

We beseech thee in humble
supplication, O Jesus ! protect
thy people ; we ask it of thee
by the power thou didst show
when thou didst command the
water to be changed into wine.

May praise, honour, and all
power be to the Trinity for
ever and for ever.
Amen.

The Ambrosian Church of Milan thus celebrates
the Baptism of our Lord in the beautiful Preface we
take from its Missal.

PREFACE.

Vere, quia dignum et jus-
tum est, aequum et salutare,
nos tibi semper hie et ubique
gratias agere, Domine sanc-
te, Pater omnipotens, seterne
Deus, qui te nobis super
Jordanis alveum de ccelis in
voce tonitrui prsebuisti, ut
Salvatorem cceli demon-

It is truly meet and just,
right and available to salva-
tion, that we should always,
here and in all places, give
thanks to thee, 0 Holy Lord,
Almighty Father, Eternal God,
who didst show thyself unto
us in the river Jordan by
speaking to us from heaven in

JAN. 13. THE OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY. 247

the voice of thunder, whereby
thou wouldst manifest unto us
our heavenly Saviour, and show
thyself to be the Father of
eternal light, and therefore
thou didst open the heavens,
and bless the air, and purify
the stream : and thou didst
announce him to be thine
Only Begotten Son by the
Holy Ghost, who appeared in
the form of a Dove. On this
day did the waters receive thy
benediction, and take away
our malediction, so that they
give to believers the purifica-
tion of all their sins, and make
them, by adoption, sons of
God unto life everlasting. For,
they that were born by the
flesh unto temporal life, and
made by sin subject to death,
have been admitted into life
everlasting, and restored to the
glory of the heavenly kingdom.

The venerable Antiphons we now give, are the
precious remnants of the ancient Gallican Liturgy :
they are of oriental origin, and are still preserved in
the Cistercian Breviary.

strares, et te Patrem seterni
luminis ostenderes, coelos
aperuisti, aerem benedixisti,
f ontem purificasti : et tuum
unicum Filium per speciem
columbse Sancto Spiritu de-
clarasti. Susceperunt hodie
fontes benedictionem tuam,
et abstulerunt maledictio-
nem nostram, ita ut creden-
tibus purificationem om-
nium delictorum exhibeant,
et *Dei filios adoptione
faciant ad vitam seternam.
Nam, quos ad temporalem
vitam carnalis nativitas fu-
derat, quos mors per prae-
varicationem ceperat, hos
vita aeterna recipiens, ad
regni coelorum gloriam re-
vocavit.

ANTIPHONS.

Renewing our old man, the
Saviour comes to Baptism,
that he might by water restore
our nature which had been
corrupted : he clothed us with
an incorruptible garment.

We glorify thee as our God
and Redeemer, that didst
purify the contagious defile-
ments of mankind in the Spirit
and in fire.

The Baptist trembled, and
dares not to touch the head of

Veterem hominem reno-
vans Salvator venit ad bap-
tismum, ut naturam quae
corrupta est, per aquam
recuperaret : incorruptibili
veste circumamictans nos.

Te, qui in Spiritu et igne
purificas humana contagia,
Deum et Redemptorem om-
nes glorificamus.

Baptista contremuit, et
non audet tangere sanctum

248

CHRISTMAS.

Dei verticem; sed clamat
cum treniore : Sanctifica me,
Salvator.

Caput draconis Salvator
contrivit in Jordane flu-
mine, et ab ejus potestate
omnes eripuit.

Magnum Mysterium de-
claratur hodie, quia creator
omnium, in Jordane, expur-
gat nostra facinora.

Baptizat miles Eegem,
servus Dominum suum,
Joannes Salvatorem : aqua
Jordanis stupuit, columba
protestabatur : paterna vox
audita est : Hie est Filius
meus.

Fontes aquarum sanctifi-
cati sunt, Christo apparente
in gloria : orbis terrarum,
haurite aquas de fonte Sal-
vatoris : sanctificavit enim
tunc omnem creaturam
Christus Deus noster.

God ; but cries out, with fear :
Sanctify me, 0 Saviour !

The Saviour crushed the
serpent's head in the river
Jordan, and delivered us all
from his power.

A great Mystery is this day
declared to us ; for the Crea-
tor of all wipes away our sins
in the Jordan.

The soldier baptises his
King, the servant his Lord,
and John his Saviour : the
waters of the Jordan were
amazed, and testimony was
borne by the Dove : the voice
of the Father was heard : this
is my Son.

The springs of water were
sanctified when the glory of
Christ was manifested : all ye
countries of the earth, draw
out waters from the Saviour's
fountains, for on that day did
Christ our God sanctify every
creature.

The following Sequence, which we take from the
ancient Paris Missals, was composed in the Middle-
Ages, when it was used by many of the Churches in
the West. It celebrates the three Mysteries of the
Epiphany.

SEQUENCE.

Orta lux mirifice,
Praevisa prophetice,
Nunc lucis deificse
Monstrat ortum.
Hac Magus instruitur,
Herodes concutitur,
Ad Jesum Gens ducitur,
Pacis p ortum.
Stella prodit Puerum,
Conditorem siderum,
Et ultorem scelerum,
Deum fortem,

A Star has miraculously
risen, that was foretold by the
Prophets : it tells the rising of
the divine Light.

It guides the Magi, it terri-
fies Herod, it leads the Gen-
tiles to Jesus, the haven of
peace.

It reveals the Child, the
creator of the stars, the aven-
ger of crime, the Strong God.

JAN. 13. THE OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY. 249

The mystic gifts proclaim
him to be the Ruler of all
things, and the Redeemer who
saved us by his death.

He is baptised in the waters,
and the waters imbibe from
him a virtue, whereby they
wash away Adam's sins.

The Dove is seen : the voice
of the Father speaks his love
of the Son, therefore making
known his glory.

The word of John bears also
testimony; and the law of
love is begun.

The guests are gladdened,
when the spring-water is made
to do the service of the better
wine.

The Word of the Father is
espoused in sweet love in the
womb of the Virgin, the Spouse
without stain.

May he cleanse our sins, and
so loosen our chains, protect-
ing us for ever, at his Mother's
prayer. Amen.

Quern mystico munere
Monstrat cuncta regere
Et tandem redimere
Nos per mortem.
Hie aquis abluitur,
Et aquis infunditur
Virtus qua diluitur
Adas noxa.
Columba conspicitur,
Vox Patris complectitur
Natum, quo dignoscitur
Ejus doxa.
Joannis praeconium
Profert testimonium,
Et sumit initium
Lex amoris.
Laetatur convivium
Cum f acit officium
Vini, liquor fontium,
Melioris.
In Virginis clausula,
Sponsae sine macula,
Dulci nubit copula
Verbum Patris.
Abluens piacula,
Nostra solvat vincula,
Protegens in saecula

Prece Matris. Amen.

The Greek Church offers us, in her Mensea, these
magnificent verses on the Baptism of our Lord : they
are full of poetry, doctrine, and devotion.

VI. DIE JANTJAEII, IN THEOPHANIA.

_ Elias had been taken up on
high : Eliseus touched the
Jordan with his cloak, and the
stream was turned back ; the
waters divided, leaving the
Prophet a dry, yet moistened,
path, as a true type of that
Baptism, whereby we pass the
stream-like path of lif e. Christ
appeared, desiring to renew
his creature.

Conversus est ohm Jorda-
nis fluvius Elisei melota,
rapto in altum Elia^ et di-
visae sunt aquae hinc et
inde, et ipsi sicca facta est
via, et humida in typum
vere baptismatis, per quod
nos fluidum vitae transimus
iter. Christus apparuit, om-
nem volens renovare crea-
turam.

250

CHKISTMAS.

Hodie aquarum sanctifi-
cata natura, scinditur Jor-
danis, et suorum sistit flu-
enta fontium, Dominiim
videns lavatum.

Tamquani homo in flu-
men venisti, Cliriste Eex,
servile baptisma accipere ;
festinas, o bone, sub Prae-
cursoris manu, propter pec-
cata nostra, philanthrope.

Ad vocem clamantis in
deserto : Prceparate viam
Domini, venisti, Domine,
formam servi assumens,
baptisma flagitans, qui pec-
catum nescis : viderunt te
aquae et tremuerunt ; con-
tremiscens effectus est Prae-
cursor, et exclamavit di-
cens : Quomodo illuminabit
lampas lumen 1 Quomodo
imponet manus servus super
Dominum? Sanctifica me
et aquas, Salvator, qui tollis
mundi peccatum.

Praecursoris et Baptistse
et Prophetae, super omnes
Prophetas honorati, tremuit
dextera, quia contempla-
batur Agnum Dei peccata
mundi lavantem, et anxie-
tate sollicitus, exclamabat :
ISTon audeo imponere, o
Verbum manum capiti tuo ;
tu ipse sanctifica me et illu-
mina, o misericors ; ipse
enim es vita et lux et pax
mundi.

Mira res erat videre coeli
terraeque Dominum in flu-

On this day was sanctified
the element of water ; the
Jordan is divided, and its
waters cease to flow, seeing its
Lord seeking baptism in its
stream.

Thou hast come to the river,
O Christ our King ! thou hast
come as Man to receive bap-
tism at thy servant's hands ;
good Jesus ! lover of man-
kind ! thou art eager to bend
beneath thy Precursor's hand.
At the voice of him that
cried out in the desert : Pre-
pare ye the ivay of the Lord !
thou didst come, O Lord !
taking to thyself the likeness
of a servant, and, thou that
knowest not sin, asking for
Baptism ! The waters saw
thee, and trembled. The Pre-
cursor trembled, and exclaim-
ed : " How shall the lamp give
"light to the Light? How
" shall the servant impose his
"hands on his Lord? O
" Saviour ! that takest away
" the sins of the world, sanc-
" tify me and the waters."

His right hand trembled,
for, though Precursor, and
Baptist, and Prophet greater
than all Prophets, he saw be-
fore him the Lamb of God
that washes away the sins of
the world : oppressed with
anxious doubt, he exclaimed :
O Word ! I dare not put
my hand upon thy head :
do thou sanctify and en-
lighten me, O Merciful One !
for thou art the life, and
light, and peace of the
world."
It was a wonderful thing to
see the Lord of heaven and

JAN. 13. THE OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY. 251

earth standing naked in the
river, receiving as a servant,
and from his servant, Baptism
for our salvation. The choirs
of Angels stood amazed, in
fear and in joy. We adore
thee, O Jesus ! together with
them. Save us.

O holy Baptist ! raise up to
him, for us, that hand of thine,
which touched the untouched
Head of our Lord, and where-
with thou didst point him out
to us. Thou hast great power,
for he declared thee to be
greater than all the Prophets.
Turn, also, to him thine eyes,
which saw the Most Holy
Spirit come down in the form
of a Dove. Have pity on us,
and be with us encouraging
our hymn, and thyself begin-
ning the canticle of praise.

The waters of the Jordan
received thee, O Jesus, the
Fountain of life ! and the
Paraclete came down upon
thee in the form of a Dove.
He who bent down the very
heavens, now bends his sacred
Head ! The clay that was
formed cries out complainingly
to Him who formed it : "Why
" biddest thou me do what is
" above me 1 I have need to
" be baptised by thee, 0 Sin-
" less One !"

Thou didst bend thine Head
to thy Precursor ; thou didst
crush the heads of the ser-
pents. Thou clidst go down
into the river ; thou didst en-
lighten all things that they
might glorify thee, O Saviour,
thou Light of our souls !

vio clenudatum, baptismum
a servo pro nostra salute
suscipientem quasi servum ;
et stupebant Angelorum
chori in timore et gaudio :
cum illis te adoramus ; salva
nos.

Manum tuam, quae Do-
mini intactum tetigit caput,
cum qua et digito ipsum
nobis submonstrasti, eleva
pro nobis ad ilium, Baptista,
tamquam potestatem habens
magnam : nam ab ipso major
Prophetis declaratus es, ocu-
losque iterum tuos, qui sanc-
tissimum viderunt Spiritum
in columbae specie descen-
clentem, ad ipsum converte,
Baptista, misericorditer cum
nobis operatus, et hie sta
nobiscum approbans hym-
num, incipiensque primus
panegyriam.

Jordanica flumina te fon-
tem recepernnt, et Paracli-
tus in forma columbae des-
cendit. Inclinat caput, qui
ccelos inclinavit ; ejulat et
clamat lutum plasmanti :
Cur mihi jubes quae supra
me sunt ; ego opus habeo
tuo baptismate, o impecca-
bilis.

Inclinasti caput Praecur-
sori, capita contrivisti dra-
conum ; in flumina descen-
disti, illuminasti omnia ad
glorificandum te, Salvator,
lumen animarum nostra-
rum.

252

CHRISTMAS.

Qui indutus est lumine
sicut vestimento, pro nobis
secundum nos fieri dignatus
est : fluenta induit hodie
Jordanica, istis ipse ad pu-
rificationem non indigens,
sed nobis in seipso dispen-
sans regenerationem : o pro-
digium !

Venite, imitemur sapien-
tes virgines ; venite, eamus
obviam manifestato Domi-
no ; quia venit tamquam
sponsus ad Joannem. Jor-
danis te videns conversus
est retrorsum ; inflexit se et
stetit. Joannes clamabat :
Non audeo tangere immor-
tale caput ; Spiritus descen-
debat in forma colunibae ad
sanctificandum aquas ; et
vox de coelo : Hie est Filius
meus veniens in mundum
ad salvandum genus huma-
num. Gloria tibi, Christe.

Baptizatur Christus et as-
cendit de aqua ; sursum
effert cum seipso mundum,
et videt reseratos ccelos,
quos Adam sibi suisque
clauserat. Et Spiritus con-
fitetur divinitatem, et simul
adest vox de coelo ; inde
enim declaratur Salvator
animarum nostrarum.

Domine, aclimplere volens
quae ab seterno decrevisti,
ab omni creatura mysterii
tui ministeria suscepisti :
ex Angelis, Gabrielem ; ex
hominibus, Yirginem ; e coe-
lis, stellam ; ex aquis, Jorda-

He that is clad with light
as with a garment, deigned,
for our sakes, to become like
unto us. To-day, he girds
himself with the waters of the
Jordan, not needing them for
his own purification, but that
he might give regeneration to
us through himself. O won-
drous work !

Come, let us imitate the
wise virgins ; come, let us go
to meet our Lord thus mani-
fested to us, for, like a bride-
groom, he comes to John.
The Jordan turned back, when
it saw thee, O Jesus ! it bent
its course and stood. John
exclaimed : " I dare not touch
" the head of the eternal God."
The Spirit came down, in the
form of a Dove, to sanctify
the waters, and a Voice said
from heaven : " This is my
" Son, that is come into the
"world to save mankind."
Glory be to thee, 0 Christ !

Christ is baptised, and comes
up from the water ; he raises
up the world with himself,
and sees that heaven opened,
which Adam had closed
against himseK and his chil-
dren. The Spirit, too, pro-
claims the divinity of Him
that was baptised, and a Voice
from heaven is heard at the
same time. Thus is Christ
declared to be the Saviour of
our souls.

When thou didst will, O
Lord ! to fulfil thy eternal
decrees, thou didst permit all
creatures to minister to thy
Mystery ! Gabriel, among the
Angels ; the Virgin, among
men ; the Star, among the

JAN. 13. THE OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY. 253

heavenly bodies ; the Jordan,
among the streams of water.
Thou didst take on thyself the
sin of the world. Glory be to
thee, O Saviour !

O Jordan, why wonderest
thou at seeing the Invisible
thus naked before thee] "I
"saw," thou repliest, "and
" how should I not tremble 1
" The angels see him, and are
"awed. The heavens were
" moved, the earth shook, the
" sea curled up its waves, and
" all things, visible and invi-
" sible, feared." Christ mani-
fested himself in the Jordan,
that he might sanctify the
waters.

The Precursor, the herald of
Christ exclaimed : " Who is
" there that has jseen a spot
"upon the sun, the orb of
" brightness ! And how shall
"I, that am but as grass of
" the field, baptise thee, thou
"brightness of glory, and
" image of the eternal Father 1
" How shall I dare touch the
"fire of the Divinity'? For
" thou art the Christ, the wis-
" dom and the power of God."

Christ, the great Light, has
shone on Galilee of the Gen-
tiles, on the country of Zabu-
lon, and on the land of Neph-
thalim ; to them that sat in
darkness there has appeared a
bright light in Bethlehem the
bright. But, the Sun of Jus-
tice, the Lord, has risen from
Mary, and shown far brighter
rays on the whole earth.

Let us, therefore, who, in
Adam, are naked of all good,
put on Jesus, that we may
grow warm ; for, thou art

nem : peccatum mundi sus-
cepisti. _ Salvator noster,
gloria tibi.

Jordanis flumen, quid
obstupescis, videns invisi-
bilem nudum'? Vidi, in-
quis, et exhorrui : et quo-
modo non tremuissem ?
Hunc videntes Angeli, hor-
ruerunt : commoti sunt
cceli, terra contremuit, et
contractum est mare, et
omnia visibilia et invisibi-
lia. Christus manifestatus
est in Jordane, ad aquas
sanctificandas.

Maculatum solem quis
vidit, clamabat Prseco, na-
tura coruscantem 1 quomo-
do te, splendor glorise, seter-
ni Patris imago, aquis ab-
luam, cum fcenum sim'?
Quomodo ignem tangam
tuse divinitatis 1 Tu enim
Christus, Dei sapientia et
virtus.

Galilsese gentium, Zabu-
lon regioni, et Nephtalim
terrse, lumen magnum illux-
it Christus, his qui erant in
tenebris fulgidus visus est
splendor in Bethlehem ful-
gida. Sed amplius ex Maria
Dominus uni verso orbi ter-
rarum ostendit radios, Sol
justitise.

Ideo qui ex Adam nudi,
venite omnes, induamus
eum, ut refocillemur ; te-
gumentum enim nudorum,

254

CHRISTMAS.

tenebrosorum splendor ve-
nisti : manifestatus es inac-
cessibile lumen.

come, O Christ ! to be the
clothing of the naked, and the
light of them that are in dark-
ness. 0 Light inaccessible !
thou hast appeared to the
world.

Let us recite, in honour of the Virgin-Mother of
our dear Jesus, this venerable Hymn of our ancient
Missals. It is an imitation of the celebrated Se-
quence for Pentecost, composed by the holy king
Robert, and which we shall give in its proper place.

SEQUENCE.

Sancti Spiritus adsit no-
bis gratia,

Quo f oecundata Deum pe-
perit Virgo Maria,

Per quern sacrata floret
Virginitas in Maria.

Spiritus alme, quo reple-
tur Maria,

Tu rorem sacrum stillasti
in Maria.

Amator sancte, quo in-
tacta imprsegnatur Maria.

Sub cujus umbra non
torretur, dum f ovetur Maria.

Tu prseservasti ne prima
culpa transfusa sit in Maria.

Tu cellam sacrasti sic be-
nedicti ventris in Maria.

Ut tumeret, et Mater fie-
ret Maria,

Sic pareret, nee florem
perderet Maria.

May the grace of that Holy
Spirit be now with us,

Whereby the Virgin Mary
conceived, and brought forth
Jesus, our God,

And holy Virginity, in this
Mother, brought forth its
Flower.

O Spirit of Love ! thou
didst fill Mary with thyself,

Thou didst infuse the dew
of heaven into her.

O Divine Lover ! the purest
Virgin receives Jesus from
Thee.

Under thy shadow, she con-
tinues a Virgin, and is made
the Mother of God.

Thou didst preserve Mary
from contracting the original
guilt.

Thou didst consecrate the
sanctuary of this so blessed a
womb,

That it might be the dwell-
ing of Jesus, and Mary be his
Mother,

And so bring forth her Son,
as to be still the same pure
Flower.

JAN. 13. THE OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY. 255

Thou it was that didst in-
spire the Prophets to foretell
how Mary should conceive her
God.

Thou it was that didst
strengthen the Apostles to
preach this God, the Son of
Mary.

When God created this
world, he gave us a type of
Mary.

The virgin-earth produced
the first Adam ; so did Mary
give birth to the second.

Thou art the hope of sor-
rowing hearts, sweet Mary !

Loosen the fetters of thy
devoted servants, O Mary !

Thou didst restore to life
the world that was crushed by
sin, O Mary !

Thou didst destroy idolaters
and wicked laws, 0 Mary !

We humbly beseech thee,
therefore, that thou mercifully
help us, O Mary !

And, pray to thy Son for
us who sing to thee, Ave
Maria I

Thou art Blessed of all the
blessed, O Mary !

Thou art raised above the
highest choirs of the Angels,
O Mary !

Thou didst clad with the
nature of Man, 0 Mary,

Him who made thee, and
not as other mothers, be his
Mother, O Mary !

He is our God ; pray him
to have mercy on us, 0 Mary !

Prophetas tu inspirasti,
ut prsecinerent quod Deum
conciperet Maria.

Apostolos confortasti ut
astruerent hunc Deum quern
edidit Maria.

Quando machinam Deus
mundanam fecit, est prse-
figurata Maria.

Tellus hominem, virgo
virginem fudit primum, sic
secundum Maria.

Tu animarum spes afflic-
tarum dulcis Maria.

Tu servulorum tuorum
nexus solve, Maria ;

Tu collisum peccatis mun-
dum ad vitam reparasti,
Maria.

Idololatras et leges atras
enervasti, Maria.

Ergo nos petimus sup-
plices ut ope benigna sub-
leves, Maria.

Et nato pro nobis sup-
plices, qui tibi psallimus :
Ave, Maria.

Tu felicibus felicior, Ma-
ria.

Tu sublimibus Angelo-
rum ccetibus es prselata,
Maria.

Ipsum hominem induisti,
Maria,

Qui sine semine, rigante
nemine, te fcecundavit, Ma-
ria.

Hunc Deum nobis placa,
Maria.

256 CHRISTMAS.

SECOND SUNDAY

AFTER THE EPIPHANY

AND FEAST OF THE MOST HOLY NAME

OF JESUS.

The third Mystery of the Epiphany shows us the
completion of the merciful designs of God upon the
world, at the same time that it manifests to us, for
the third time, the glory of our Lord and Saviour,
Jesus Christ. The Star has led the soul to faith;
the sanctified Waters of the Jordan have conferred
purity upon her ; the Marriage-Feast unites her tc*
her God. We have been considering, during this
Octave, the Bridegroom revealing himself to his
Spouse ; we have heard him calling her to come to
him from the heights of Libanus ; and now, after
having enlightened and purified her, he invites her
to the heavenly feast, where she is to receive the
Wine of his divine love.

A Feast is prepared -,1 it is a Marriage-Feast ; and
the Mother of Jesus is present at it, for it is just,
that, having co-operated in the mystery of the Incar-
nation of the Word, she should take part in all that
her Son does, and in all the favours he bestows on
his elect. But, in the midst of the Feast, the Wine
fails. Wine is the symbol of Charity or Love, and
Charity had failed on the earth ; for the Gentiles had
never tasted its sweetness ; and as to the Synagogue,

1 St. John, ii.

2ND SUNDAY: FEAST OF THE HOLY" NAME. 257

what had it produced but wild grapes P The True
Vine is our Jesus, and he calls himself by that
name.2 He alone could give that Wine which
gladdeneth the heart of man ;3 He alone could give
us that Chalice which inebriatethf and of which
the Royal Psalmist prophesied.

Mary said to Jesus : They have no Wine. It is
the office of the Mother of God to tell him of the
wants of men, for she is also their Mother. But
Jesus answers her in words, which are apparently
harsh : Woman ! what is it to me and to thee ?
My hour is not yet come. The meaning of these
words is, that, in this great Mystery, he was about to
act, not as the Son of Mary, but as the Son of God.
Later on, the hour will come when, dying upon the
Cross, he will do a work, in the presence of his
Mother, and he will do it as Man, that is, according
to that human nature which he has received from
her. Mary at once understands the words of her
Son, and she says to the waiters of the Feast, what
she is now ever saying to her children : Bo whatso-
ever he shall say to you.

Now, there were six large waterpots of stone there,
and they were empty. The world was then in its Sixth
Age, as St. Augustine and other Holy Doctors tell
us. Daring these six ages, the earth had been await-
ing its Saviour, who was to instruct and redeem it.
Jesus commands these waterpots to be filled with
water ; and yet, water does not suit the Feast of the
Spouse. The figures and the prophecies of the
ancient world were this water, and until the opening
of the Seventh Age, when Christ, who is the Vine,
was to be given to the world, no man had contracted
an alliance with the Divine Word.

But, when the Emmanuel came, he had but to

1 Is. v. 2. 3 Ps. ciii. 15.

2 St. JohD, xv. 1. 4 Ibid. xxii. 5.

(2) S

258 CHRISTMAS.

say, Now draw out, and the waterpots were seen
to be filled with the wine of the New Covenant, the
Wine which had been kept to the end. When he
assumed our human nature — a nature weak and un-
stable as Water — he effected a change in it; he
raised it up even to himself, by making us par-
takers of the divine nature y1 he gave us the power
to love him, to be united to him, to form that one
Body, of which he is the Head, that Church of which
he is the Spouse, and which he loved from all
eternity, and with such tender love, that he came
down from heaven to celebrate his nuptials with
her.

O the wonderful dignity of man ! God has vouch-
safed, says the Apostle, to show the riches of his
glory on the vessels of mercy, which had no claim to,
nay, were unworthy of such an honour. Jesus bids
the waiters fill them with water, and the water of
Baptism purifies us ; but, not satisfied with this, he
fills these vessels, even to the brim, with that heavenly
and new Wine, which was not to be drunk save in
the kingdom of his Father.2 Thus, divine Charity,
which dwells in the Sacrament of Love, is communi-
cated to us ; and, that we might not be unworthy of
the espousals with himself, to which he called us, he
raises us up even to himself. Let us, therefore,
prepare our souls for this wonderful union, and,
according to the advice of the Apostle, let us labour
to present them to our Jesus with such purity as
to resemble that chaste Virgin, who was presented
to the spotless Lamb.3

St. Matthew, the Evangelist of the Humanity of
our Lord, has received from the Holy Ghost the
commission to announce to us the Mystery of Faith
by the Star; St. Luke, the Evangelist of Jesus'
Priesthood, has been selected, by the same Holy

1 II. St. Peter, i. 4. 2 Eom. ix. 23. 3 II. Cor. xi. 2.

2ND SUNDAY : FEAST OF THE HOLY NAME. 259

Spirit, to instruct us in the Mystery of the Baptism
in the Jordan; but the Mystery of the Marriage-
Feast was to be revealed to us by the Evangelist
John, the Beloved Disciple. He suggests to the
Church the object of this third Mystery, by this ex-
pression : This beginning of miracles did Jesus in
Cana of Galilee, and he manifested his glory.1 At
Bethlehem, the Gold of the Magi expressed the
Divinity of the Babe ; at the Jordan, the descent of
the Holy Ghost and the voice of the Eternal Father
proclaimed Jesus, (known to the people as a carpen-
ter of Nazareth,) to be the Son of God ; at Cana, it
is Jesus himself that acts, and he acts as God, for,
says St. Augustine, He who changed the water into
wine in the waterpots could be no other than the
same who, every year, works the same miracle in the
vine. Hence it was, that, from that day, as St. John
tells us, his disciples believed in him,2 and the Apos-
tolic College began to be formed.

We cannot, therefore, be surprised that the
Church — filled, as she is, with holy enthusiasm at
the Feast of her Jesus' glory, his Epiphany, and
desirous to add fresh joy to the solemnity- — should
have chosen this Second Sunday after the Epiphany
as the day on which to honour the Most Holy Name
of Jesus. It is on the Wedding-Day that the Bride-
groom gives his Name to his Bride, and it is the sign
that, from that day forward, she belongs to him alone.
The Church, therefore, would honour the Name of
her Divine Spouse with an especial Feast, and no day
could be more appropriate for it than this of the
Marriage at Cana.

In the Old Covenant, the Name of God inspired
fear and awe : nor was the honour of pronouncing it
granted to all the children of Israel. We can under-
stand this. God had not yet come down from

l St. John, ii. 11, 2 Ibid.

260 CHRISTMAS.

heaven to live on earth, and converse with men ; he
had not yet taken upon himself our poor nature, and
become Man like ourselves ; the sweet Name, ex-
pressive of love and tenderness, the Name given by
the Spouse to her Beloved, could not be applied to
him.

But, when the fulness of time had come — when
the mystery of love was about to be revealed — then
did heaven send down the Name of " Jesus " to our
earth, as a pledge of the speedy coming of Him
who was to bear it. The Archangel Gabriel said to
Mary: Thou shalt call his Name Jesus. "Jesus"
means Saviour. How sweet will this Name not be
to poor lost man ! It seems to link earth to heaven !
No name is so amiable, none is so powerful. Every
knee in heaveu, on earth, and in hell, bows in adora-
tion at hearing this Name ! and yet, who can pro-
nounce it, and not feel love spring up within his
heart ? But we need such a Saint as Bernard, to tell
us of the power and sweetness of this Blessed Name.
He thus speaks of it in one of his Sermons.

" The Name of Jesus is Light, and Food, and
" Medicine. It is Light, when it is preached to us ;
"it is Food, when we think upon it ; .it is the Medi-
" cine that soothes our pains when we invoke it. Let
" us say a word on each of these. Tell me, whence
" came there, into the whole world, so bright and
" sudden a light, if not from the preaching of the
"Name of Jesus ? Was it not by the light of this
" Name that God called us unto his admirable Light 1
" Wherewith being enlightened, and in this light,
"seeing the Light, Ave take these words of Paulas
" truly addressed to ourselves : Heretofore, you were
" darkness ; but noiv, light in the Lord.1

" Nor is the Name of Jesus Light only ; it is also
" Food. Art thou not strengthened, as often as thou

1 Eph. v. 8.

rND SUNDAY : FEAST OF THE HOLY NAME. 261

" thinkest of this Name ? What is there that so
"feeds the mind of him that meditates upon this
" Name ? What is there that so restores the wearied
" faculties, strengthens virtue, gives vigour to good
" and holy habits, and fosters chastity ? Every food
" of the soul is dry, that is not steeped in this unc-
" tion; it is insipid, if it be not seasoned with this
" salt. If thou write, I relish not thy writing, unless
" I read there the Name of Jesus. If thou teach me,
" or converse with me, I relish not thy words, unless
"I hear thee say the Name of Jesus. Jesus is
" honey to the mouth, and music to the ear, and
" gladness to the heart.

"It is also Medicine. Is any one among you sad ?
" Let but Jesus come into his heart, and the mouth
" echo him, saying Jesus ! and lo ! the light of that
" Name disperses every cloud, and brings sunshine
" back again. Have any of you committed sin ?
" and is despair driving you into the snare of death %
" Invoke the Name of life, and life will come back
" to the soul. Was there ever a man, that, hearing
"this saving Name, could keep up that common
" fault of hardness of heart, or drowsiness of slug-
" gishness, or rancour of soul, or languor of sloth ?
" If any one, perchance, felt that the fountain of his
" tears was dry, did it not gush forth more plentifully
" than ever, and flow more sweetly than ever, as
" soon as he invoked the Name of Jesus ? If any of
" us were ever in danger, and our heart beat with
" fear, did not this Name of power bring us confidence
" and courage the moment we pronounced it ? When
" we were tossed to and fro by perplexing doubts, did
" not the evidence of what was right burst on us as
" we called upon the Name of light ? When we
" were discouraged, and well nigh crushed, by ad-
" versity, did not our heart take courage, when our
" tongue uttered the Name of help ? All this is most
" true ; for all these miseries are the sicknesses and

262 CHRISTMAS.

" faintings of our soul; and the Name of Jesus is our
'• Medicine.

" But, let us see how all this comes to pass. Call
" upon me in the day of trouble, says the Lord ; 1
" will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me} There
" is nothing which so restrains the impulse of anger,
" calms the swelling of pride, heals the wound of envy,
" represses the insatiability of luxury, smothers the
"flame of lust, quenches the thirst of avarice, and
" dispels the fever of uncleanliness — as the Name of
*■ Jesus. For when I pronounce this Name, I bring
" before my mind the Man, who, by excellence, is
"meek and humble of heart, benign, sober, chaste,
"merciful, and filled with everything that is good
" and holy, nay, who is the very God Almighty —
" whose example heals me, and whose assistance
" strengthens me. I say all this, when I say Jesus.
" Here have I my model, for he is Man; and my help,
" for he is God ; the one provides me with precious
" drugs, the other gives them efficacy ; and from the
" two I make a potion such as no physician knows
" how to make.

" Here is the electuary, my soul, hid in the casket
" of this Name Jesus ; believe me, it is wholesome,
" and good for every ailment thou canst possibly have.
" Ever have it with thee, in thy bosom and in thy
" hand ; so that all thy affections and actions may be
" directed to Jesus."2

This is the sweet and powerful Name, which was
given to our Emmanuel, on the day of his Circum-
cision. But, as that day was the Octave of Christmas,
and was already sacred to the Maternity of Mary, the
present Sunday, the Second after the Epiphany, was
chosen for celebrating the mystery of the Name of the
Lamb. The first promoter of the Feast was St. Ber-

' Ps. xlix. 15.

2 Fifteenth Sermon on the Canticle of Canticles.

2ND SUNDAY: FEAST OF THE HOLY NAME. 263

nardine of Sienna, who lived in the 15th century.
This holy man established the practice of representing
the Holy Name of Jesus surrounded with rays, and
formed into a monogram of its three first letters, IHS.1
The custom spread rapidly through Italy, and was
zealously propagated by the great St. John of Cap-
estrano, who, like St. Bernardine of Sienna, was of
the Order of Friars Minors. The Holy See gave its
formal approbation to this manner of honouring the
Name of our Saviour, and, in the early part of the
16th century, Pope Clement the Sixth, after loug
entreaties, granted to the whole Franciscan Order the
privilege of keeping a special Feast in honour of the
Most Holy Name of Jesus.

Rome extended the same favour to various
Churches ; and, at length, the Feast was inserted in
the universal Calendar. It was in the year 1721, at
the request of Charles the Sixth, Emperor of Ger-
many, that Pope Innocent the Twelfth decreed that
the Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus should be
kept throughout the whole Church; he also chose
the Second Sunday after the Epiphany as the day.
"We have already explained how appropriately their
respective mysteries have been thus blended into the
one solemnity.

MASS.

The Church begins her chants by proclaiming the
glory of the Name of her Spouse. Heaven, earth,
and hell ! bow ye down at the sound of this adorable
Name, for the Son of Man, who bears this Name, is
also the Son of God.

1 The Name was, anciently, often written Ihesus; hence, in its
contracted form alluded to, the letter H would be given : the E
following was virtually included in the aspirate ! [Translator.]

264

CHEISTMAS.

INTROIT.

In Nomine Jesu omne
genu nectatur, ccelestium,
terrestrium et infernorum ;
et omnis lingua confiteatur,
quia Dominus Jesus Chris-
tus in gloria est Dei Patris.

Ps. Domine, Dominus
noster, quam admirabile est
Nomen tuum in universa
terra ! $". Gloria Patri. In
Nomine Jesu.

At the Name of Jesus, let
every knee bend in heaven, on
earth, and under the earth ;
and every tongue confess, that
the Lord Jesus Christ is in the
glory of God the Father.

Ps. O Lord, our Lord, how
wonderful is thy name over
the whole earth. $". Glory.
At the Name.

In the Collect, the Church, which, during her exile,
finds consolation in the Name of her divine Spouse,
j)rays that she may see his blessed face in heaven.

COLLECT.

Deus, qui unigenitum Fi-
lium tuum constituisti hu-
mani generis Salvatorem,
et Jesum vocari jussisti :
concede propitius, ut cujus
sanctum Nomen veneramur
in terris, ejus quoque as-
pectu perfruamur in ccelis.
Per eumdem.

O God, who didst appoint
thy Only Begotten Son the
Saviour of mankind, and com-
mandedst that his name should
be called Jesus : mercifully
grant, that we who venerate
this holy Name on earth, may
also enjoy his sight in heaven.
Through the same, &c.

Commemoration of the 2nd Sunday after the Epiphany.

Omnipotens sempiterne
Deus, qui ccelestia simul et
terrena moderaris : suppli-
cationes populi tui clemen-
ter exaudi, et pacem tuam
nostris concede temporibus.
Per Dominum.

O Almighty and Eternal
God, supreme ruler both of
heaven and earth; mercifully
give ear to the prayers of thy
people, and grant us peace in
our time. Through, &c.

EPISTLE.

Lectio Actuum Apostolo-
rum.

Cap. IV.

m In diebus illis, Petrus Spi-
ritu Sancto repletus, dixit :

Lesson from the Acts of the
Apostles.

Oh. IV

In those days : Peter being
filled with the Holy Ghost,

2ND SUNDAY : FEAST OF THE HOLY NAME. 265

said : Ye princes of the people
and ancients, hear. If we this
day are examined concerning
the good deed done to the
infirm man, by what means he
hath been made whole, be it
known to you all, and to all
the people of Israel, that by
the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ of Nazareth, whom you
crucified, whom God hath
raised from the dead, even by
him this man standeth here
before you whole. This is the
stone which was rejected by
you the builders, which is be-
come the head of the corner ;
neither is there salvation in
any other. For there is no
other name under heaven
given to men whereby we
must be saved.

Principes populi, et senio-
res, audite : si nos hodie
dijudicamur in benefacto
hominis infirmi, in quo iste
salvus factus est ; notum sit
omnibus vobis, et omni ple-
bi Israel, quia in Nomine
Domini nostri Jesu Christi
Nazareni, quern vos cruci-
fixistis, quern Deus suscita-
vit a mortuis, in hoc iste
adstat coram vobis sanus.
Hie est lapis qui reprobatus
est a vobis sedificantibus,
qui factus est in caput an-
guli ; et non est in alio
aliquo salus. Nee enim
aliud nomen est sub ccelo
datum hominibus, in quo
oporteat nos salvos fieri.

Oh ! how true is this, dear Jesus ! — no other
Name but thine could give us salvation, and thy
Name means Saviour. Be thou praised for having
taken such a Name ! Be thou praised for having
saved us ! The admirable alliance, which thou re-
vealest to us in the mysterious Feast at Cana, is all
expressed in thy most sweet and holy Name. Thou
art of heaven heavenly, and yet thou takest a Name
of earth, and one which our mortal lips can say.
Thou hast truly made an alliance between the two
natures, the Divine and the Human, and thy Name
imports this mystery of thine Incarnation. Oh !
make us worthy of the sublime alliance to which
thou hast hereby raised us, and never permit us to
break it.

The holy Church then commences a second can-
ticle in praise of this divine Name, which is blessed
by all nations, for it is the name of Him who re-
deemed them all.

266

CHRISTMAS.

GRADUAL.

Salvos fac nos, Domine
Deus noster ; et congrega
nos de nationibus : ut con-
fiteaniur Nomini sancto tuo,
et gloriemur in lande tua.

p. Tu, Domine, Pater nos-
ter, et Redemptor noster; a
sseculo nomen tunm.

Alleluia, alleluia.

]t. Laudem Domini loque-
tur os meum, et benedicat
omnis caro Nomen sanctum
ejus. Alleluia.

Save us, O Lord, our God !
and gather us from amidst the
nations : that we may give
thanks to thy holy Name, and
may glory in thy praise.

JJF. Thou, Lord, art our
Father and Redeemer ; thy
Name is from eternity.

Alleluia, alleluia.

$". My mouth shall publish
the praises of the Lord, and
let all flesh bless his holy
Name. Alleluia.

After Septuagesima, the following Tract is sung,
instead of the Alleluia.

TRACT.

Domine, Deus virtutum,
)onverte nos ; et ostende fa-
eiera tuam et salvi erimus :
sonet vox tua in auribus
meis.

&. Vox enim tua dulcis,
et f acies tua decora nimis.

"ft. Oleum effusum No-
men tuum, Jesu ; ideo ado-
lescentulse dilexerunt te.

Convert us to thee, 0 Lord
God of hosts ; and show thy
face, and we shall be saved :
let thy voice sound in my
ears.

"ft. For sweet is thy voice,
and very beautiful is thy
countenance.

(t. Thy Name, 0 Jesus, is
as oil poured out ; therefore
have virgins loved thee.

GOSPEL.

Sequentia sancti Evangelii
secundum Lucam.

Cap. II.

In illo tempore : post-
quam consummati sunt
dies octo, ut circumcidere-
tur Puer, vocatum est
Nomen ejus Jesus ; quod
vocatum est ab Angelo,
priusquam in utero conci-
peretur.

Sequel of the holy Gospel
according to Luke.

Ch. II.

At that time, after eight
days were accomplished that
the Child should be circum-
cised, his name was called
Jesus, which was called by
the angel, before he was con-
ceived in the womb.

2ND SUNDAY : FEAST OF THE HOLY NAME. 267

It is during the first shedding of thy Blood, by the
Circumcision, that thou didst receive this Name of
Jesus, dear Lord ! and it was fitting that it should
be so, for this Name signifies Saviour, and we could
not be saved but by thy Blood. The glorious alli-
ance thou hast contracted with us, is, one day, to •
cost thee thy Blood ! The nuptial ring thou puttest
on our finger, is to be steeped in thy Blood ! Our
immortal life is to be purchased at the price of thy
Death ! All these truths are expressed to us by thy
Name, 0 Jesus ! Saviour ! Thou art the Vine, and
thou invitest us to drink of thy delicious Wine; but
the heavenly Fruit must be first unsparingly pressed
in the wine-press of thy Eternal Father's justice ;
we cannot drink of its juice, until it shall have been
torn from the branch and bruised for our sakes.
May thy sacred Name ever remind us of this sublime
Mystery, and may the remembrance keep us from
sin, and make us always faithful.

During the Offertory, the holy Church resumes
her chants in honour of the Holy Name ; she cele-
brates the mercies, which are reserved for all them
that call on this Name.

OFFEETOEY.

I will praise thee, O Lord Confitebor tibi, Domine

my God, with my whole heart, Deus meus, in toto corde

and I will glorify thy name meo ; et glorificabo Nomen

for ever; because, O Lord, tuumin seternuro.. Quoniam

thou art good and gracious, tu, Domine, suavis et mitis

and full of mercy towards all es, multae misericordiaB om-

that call upon thee. Alleluia, nibus invocantibus te. Al-
leluia.

SECEET.

May thy blessing, 0 most Benedictio tua, clemen-

merciful God, by which every tissime Deus, qua omnis

creature is enlivened and sub- viget creatura, sanctificet,

sists, sanctify this our sacri- quassumus, hoc sacrificium

fice, which we offer thee in nostrum, quod ad gloriam

268 CHRISTMAS.

Nominis Filii tui Domini honour of the name of thy

nostri Jesu Christi offerimus Son, our Lord Jesus Christ :

tibi : ut majestati tuae pla- that it may be acceptable to

cere possit ad laudem, et the praise of thy majesty, and

nobis proficere ad salutem. available to our salvation.

Per eumdem. Through the same, &c.

Commemoration of the 2nd Sunday after the Epiphany.

Oblata, Domine, munera Sanctify, 0 Lord, our offer-

sanctifica : nosque a pecca- ings, and cleanse us from the

torum nostrorum maculis stains of our sins. Through,

emunda. Per Dominum. <kc.

The Faithful having received the heavenly food —
the Body and Blood of their Saviour, Jesus — the
Church, filled with gratitude towards her Lord, in-
vites all nations to glorify the Name of Him who
made and redeemed them.

COMMUNION.

Omnes gentes quascum- All the nations thou hast

que fecisti venient, et ado- made shall come and adore

rabunt coram te, Domine, before thee, O Lord, and they

et gloriflcabunt Nomen tu- shall glorify thy name, for

um : quoniam magnus es tu, thou art great and dost won-

et faciens mirabilia ; tu es derful things : thou art God

Deus solus. Alleluia. alone. Alleluia.

The holy Church has now but one more prayer to
make : it is, that the names of her children may be
written, under the glorious Name of " Jesus," in the
book of eternal 'predestination, which is, as it were,
the deed of the Contract made with us by our
Saviour. This happiness will assuredly be ours, if
we are but wise enough to profit by all that this
sweet Name offers us, and to make our life conform-
able to the lessons it teaches us.

POSTCOMMUNTON.

Omnipotens, seterne Deus, 0 Almighty and Eternal God,
qui creasti et redemisti who didst both create and re-

2ND SUNDAY: FEAST OF THE HOLY NAME. 269

deem us, mercifully hear our
prayers, and vouchsafe, with a
pleasing and kind counte-
nance, to receive the sacrifice
of this victim of our salvation,
which we have offered to thy
divine Majesty, in honour of
the Name of thy Son, our
Lord Jesus Christ ; that thy
grace being poured upon us,
through the glorious Name of
Jesus as a pledge of our eter-
nal predestination, we may
rejoice that our names are
written in heaven. Through
the same, <kc.

nos': respice propitus vota
nostra, et sacrificium salu-
taris hostise, quod in hono-
rem Nominis Filii tui Do-
mini nostri Jesu Christi,
majestati tuse obtulimus,
placido et benigno vultu
suscipere digneris : ut gra-
tia tua nobis infusa, sub
glorioso Nomine Jesu, aeter-
na3 prsedestinationis titulo,
gaudeamus nomina nostra
scripta esse in ccelis. Per
eumdem.

Commemoration of the 2nd Sunday after the Epiphany.

May the efficacy of thy
power, O Lord, be increased
in us, that being fed with thy
divine sacraments, we may,
through thy bounty, be pre-
pared to receive what they
promise. Through, &c.

Augeatur in nobis, quaa-
sumus D omine, tuse virtu-
tis operatio : ut divinis ve-
getati sacramentis, ad eo-
rum promissa capienda tuo
munere praeparerour. Per
Dominum.

Instead of the ordinary Gospel of St. John, the
Church reads, at the end of this Mass, the passage
where the same Evangelist recounts to us the mys-
tery of the Marriage-Feast at Cana.

LAST GOSPEL.

Sequel of the holy Gospel
according to John.

Ch. II.

At that time, there was a
marriage in Cana of Galilee ;
and the Mother of Jesus was
there. And Jesus also was in-
vited, and his disciples to the
marriage. And the wine fail-
ing, the Mother of Jesus saith
to him, They have no wine.

Sequentia sancti Evangelii
secundum Joannem.

Cap. II.

In illo tempore : nuptiae
factae sunt in Cana Galilaeae,
et erat Mater Jesu ibi. Vo-
catus est auteni et Jesus et
discipuli ejus ad nuptias.
Et deficiente vino, dicit Ma-
ter Jesu ad eum : Vinum
non habent. Et dicit ei

270

CHRISTMAS.

Jesus : Quid mini et tibi est,
mulier1? nondum venit hora
mea. Dicit Mater ejus mi-
nistris : Quodcumque dixe-
rit vobis, facite. Erant au-
tem ibi lapidese hydrise sex,
positae secundum purifica-
tionem Judaeorum, capien-
tes singular metreias binas
vel ternas. Dicit eis Jesus :
Implete hydrias aqua. Et
impleverunt eas usque ad
summum. Et dicit eis Je-
sus : Haurite nunc, et ferte
architriclino. Et tulerunt.
Ut autem gustavit architri-
clinus aquam vinum factam,
et non sciebat unde esset,
ministri autem sciebant qui
hauserant aquam ; vocat
sponsum architriclinus, et
dicit ei : Omnis homo pri-
mum bonum vinum ponit,
et cum inebriati fuerint,
tunc id quod deterius est ;
tu autem servasti bonum
vinum usque adhuc. Hoc
fecit initium signorum Je-
sus in Cana Galilaeaa, et ma-
nifestavit gloriam suam, et
crediderunt in eum disci-
puli ejus.
ft, Deo gratias.

And Jesus saith to her,
"Woman, what is it to me and
to thee] my hour is not yet
come. His Mother saith to
the waiters, Whatsoever he
shall say to you, do ye. Now
there were set there six water-
pots of stone ; according to the
manner of the purifying of the
Jews, containing two or three
measures a-piece. Jesus saith
to them, Fill the waterpots
with water. And they filled
them up to the brim. And
Jesus saith to them, Draw out
now, and carry to the chief
steward of the feast : and they
carried it. And when the
chief steward had tasted the
water made wine, and knew
not whence it was, but the
waiters knew who had drawn
the water ; the chief steward
calleth the bridegroom, and
saith to him, Every man at
first setteth forth good wine,
and when men have well
drank, then that which is
worse : but thou hast kept the
good wine until now. This
beginning of miracles did
Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and
manifested his glory, and his
disciples believed in him.
1$. Deo gratias.

VESPERS.

Ant. Omnis qui invoca-
verit Nomen Domini salvus
erit.

Ant. Whosoever shall call
upon the Name of the Lord,
shall be saved.

Psalm : Dixit Dominus, page 99.

2ND SUNDAY: FEAST OF THE HOLY NAME, 271

Ant. Holy and terrible is
his Name : the fear of the
Lord is the beginning of wis-
dom.

Ant. Sanctum et terri-
bile Nomen ejus : initium
sapientise timor Domini,

Psalm : Confitebor, page 100.

Ant. But I will rejoice in
the Lord, and I will joy in
God my Jesus.

Psalm: Beatus vir, page 101.

Ant. Ego autem in Do-
mino gaudebo, et exsultabo
in Deo Jesu meo.

Ant. From the rising of the Ant. A solis ortu usque
sun unto the going down of the ad occasum, laudabile No-
same, the Name of the Lord men Domini,
is worthy of praise.

Psalm : Laudate pueri, page 102.

Ant. I will sacrifice the
sacrifice of praise, and I will
call upon the Name of the
Lord.

Ant. Sacrificabo hostiam
laudis, et Nomen Domini
invocabo.

Psalm 115.

I have believed, therefore
have I spoken : but I have
been humbled exceedingly.

I said in my excess : Every
man is a liar.

What shall I render to the
Lord, for all the things that
he hath rendered to me 1

I will take the chalice of
salvation : and I will call upon
the Name of the Lord.

I will pay my vows to the
Lord before all his people :
precious in the sight of the
Lord is the death of his saints.

O Lord, for I am thy ser-
vant : I am thy servant, and
the son of thy handmaid.

Thou hast broken my bonds :
I will sacrifice to thee the

Credidi, propter quod lo
cutus sum : * ego auter,
humiliatus sum nimis.

Ego dixi in excessu meo

* Omnis homo mendax.
Quid retribuam Domino

* pro omnibus, quae retri
buit mihi 1

Calicem salutaris acci
piam : * et Nomen Domini
invocabo.

Vota mea Domino red-
dam coram omni populo
ejus : * pretiosa in con-
spectu Domini mors sancto-
rum ejus.

O Domine, quia ego ser-
vus tuus : * ego servus tuus
et filius ancillse tuse.

Dirupisti vincula mea : *
tibi sacrificabo hostiam lau-

272

CHEISTMAS.

dis, et Nomen Domini invo-
cabo.

Vota mea Domino red-
dam in conspectu omnis
populi ejus : * in atriis do-
mus Domini in medio tui
Jerusalem.

sacrifice of praise, and I will
call upon the Name of the
Lord.

I will pay my vows to the
Lord in the sight of all his
people, in the courts of the
house of the Lord, in the midst
of thee, O Jerusalem.

CAPITULTJM.

{Phi

Fratres, Christus humi-
liavit semetipsum, factus
obediens usque ad mortem,
mortem autem crucis :
propter quod et Deus exal-
tavit ilium, et donavit illi
Nomen quod est super omne
nomen : ut in Nomine Jesu
omne genu nectatur.

I. II.)

Brethren, Christ humbled
himself, becoming obedient
unto death, even to the death
of the cross ; for which cause,
God also hath exalted him, and
hath given him a Name, which
is above all names : that in
the Name of Jesus every knee
should bow.

HYMN.*

Jesu, dulcis memoria,
Dans vera cordi gaudia :
Sed super mel et omnia,
Ejus dulcis prsesentia.

Nil canitur suavius,
Nil auditur jucundius,
Nil cogitatur dulcius,
Quam Jesus Dei Filius.

Jesu, spes pcenitentibus,
Quam pius es petentibus ! <
Quam bonus te quserenti-

bus !
Sed quid invenientibus %

Jestjs ! how sweet the re-
membrance of that name,
which gives true joy to the
heart ! But, the sweet pre-
sence of Him who bears that
Name is sweeter than honey
and every pleasure.

No song is so sweet, no word
is so sweet, no thought is so
sweet as — Jesus, the Son of
God!

Dear Jesus ! thou hope of
penitent hearts ! how merciful
thou art to them that ask for
thee ! how good to them that
seek thee ! but, oh ! what art
thou to them that find thee !

* In the Monastic Breviary, it is preceded by this Resj)onsory.

IjL br. Adjutorium nostrum H in Nomine Domini, * Alleluia,
alleluia. Adjutorium. V. Qui fecit coelum et terram. * Alle-
luia. Gloria Patri. Adjutorium.

2ND SUNDAY : FEAST OF THE HOLY NAME. 273

No tongue can tell, no pen
can describe, what it is to love
Jesus. He that has felt it, can
alone believe the bliss.

Jesus ! be thou our joy, as
thou wilt, one day, be our
reward. May our glory for
eternal ages be in thee.

Amen.

$". Blessed be the Name of
the Lord, Alleluia.

R From henceforth, now,
and for ever, Alleluia.

Nee lingua valet dicere,
Nee littera exprimere ;
Expertus potest credere,
Quid sit Jesum diligere.

Sis Jesu nostrum gau-
dium,
Qui es futurus praemium,
Sit nostra in te gloria,
Per cuncta semper saecula.

Amen.

IV. Sit Nomen Domini
benedictum, Alleluia.

1$. Ex hoc nunc, et usque
in saeculum, Alleluia.

antiphon of the Magnificat.
Ant. Thou shalt call his Ant. Vocabis Nomen ejus

Name Jesus; for he shall save
his people from their sins.
Alleluia.

LET US PRAY.

O God, who didst appoint
thy Only Begotten Son the
Saviour of mankind, and com-
mandedst that his Name should
be called Jesus : mercifully
grant, that we who venerate
his holy Name on earth, may
also enjoy his sight in heaven.
Through the same, &c.

Jesum ; ipse enim salvum
faciet populum suum a pec-
catis eorum. Alleluia.

OREMTTS.

Deus qui unigenitum Fi-
lium tuum constituisti hu-
mani generis Salvatorem,
et Jesum vocari jussisti :
concede propitius, ut, cujus
sanctum Nomen veneramur
in terris, ejus quoque as-
pectu perfruamur in coelis.
Per eumdem.

Commemoration of the 2nd Sunday after the Epiphany.

Ant. The wine failing,
Jesus commanded that the
waterpots should be filled
with water, and it was chang-
ed into wine. Alleluia.

"ff. Let my prayer, O Lord,
be directed,

1$. As incense in thy sight.

LET US PRAY.

0 Almighty and Eternal

(2)

Ant. Deficiente vino, jus-
sit Jesus impleri hydrias
aqua, quae in vinum con-
versa est. Alleluia.

$". Dirigatur, Domine,
oratio mea,

1$. Sicut incensum in
conspectu tuo.

OREMUS.

Omnipotens

sempiterne
T

274

CHEISTMAS.

Deus, qui coelestia sinml et
terrena moderaris : suppli-
cationes populi tui clemen-
ter exaudi, et pacem tuam
nostris concede temporibus.
Per Dominum.

God, supreme Euler both of
heaven and earth, mercifully
give ear to the prayers of thy
people, and grant us peace in
our time. Through, <kc.

The two Hymns which follow, and which are used
by the Church for the Matins and Lauds of the Feast,
are by the same writer as the Hymn of Yespers, Jesu
dulcis memoria. They were for a long time attri-
buted to St. Bernard ; but Manuscripts have been
found, which prove beyond a doubt, that they were
composed by a holy Abbess rof the Order of St. Be-
nedict, who lived in the 14th century.

HYMN.

Jesu, Rex admirabilis,
Et triumphator nobilis,
Dulcedo ineffabilis,
Totus desiderabilis.

Quando cor nostrum vi-
sitas,
Tunc lucet ei Veritas,
Mundi vilescit vanitas,
Et intus f ervet charitas.

Jesu, dulcedo cordium,
Fons vivus, lumen men-

tium,
Excedens omne gaudium,
Et omne desiderium.

Jesum omnes agnoscite ;
Amorem ejus poscite ;
Jesum ardenter quserite,
Quserendo inardescite.

Te nostra, Jesu, vox son-
net,
Nostri te mores exprimant,
Te corda nostra dihgant,
Et nunc et in perpetuum.
Amen.

O Jesus ! admirable King !
noble Conqueror ! ineffable
Sweetness ! most lovely Jesus !

When thou visitest the
heart, then does truth shine
upon her, the vanity of the
world grows contemptible,
and charity burns within.

O Jesus ! Sweetness of the
heart ! Fount of life ! Light
of the soul ! Thou surpassest
every joy, and every desire.

Acknowledge this Jesus, all
ye people ! Pray for his love,
seek him with all eagerness,
and, as ye seek him, burn
with love of him.

May our tongue proclaim
thee, O Jesus ! may our lives
reflect thy virtues ! may our
hearts love thee, both now
and for eternity !
Amen,

2ND SUNDAY: FEAST OF THE HOLY NAME. 275

HYMN".

My Jesus, thou glory of the
Angels ! Thou art sweet
music to the ear, sweetest
honey to the mouth, heavenly
nectar to the heart !

They that taste thee, still
hunger after thee ; they that
drink, still thirst to drink;
they know not what to desire
save the Jesus whom they
love.

O Jesus ! my sweetest
Jesus ! hope of this panting
heart ! these tears of love, this
cry of my innermost soul,
both ask thee to be mine.

Abide with us, O Lord ! and
illumine us with light ; drive
darkness from our souls, and
fill the world with thy sweet-
ness.

To thee, O Jesus ! thou
Mower of thy Virgin-Mother,
thou love of our delighted
nature ! be praise, and the
honour of thy Name, and the
kingdom of eternal bliss.

Amen.

Jesu decus Angelicum,
In aure dulce canticum,
In ore mel mirificum,
In corde nectar coelicum.

Qui te gustant esuriunt ;
Qui bibunt adhuc sitiunt j
Desiderare nesciunt
Nisi Jesum, quern diligunt.

0 Jesu, mi dulcissime,
Spes suspirantis animae !
Te qugerunt pia3 lacrymae,
Te clamor mentis intimae.

Mane nobiscum, Domine,
Et nos illustra lumine ;
Pulsa mentis caligine,
Mundum reple dulcedme.

Jesu, flos Matris virginis,
Amor nostrse dulcedinis,
Tibi laus, honor Nominis,
Eegnum beatitudinis.
Amen.

The following Sequence is the composition of the
devout Bernardine de Bustis, a Franciscan, who also
composed, during the pontificate of Syxtus the
Fourth, an Office and a Mass of the Holy Name of
Jesus.

SEQUENCE.

Sweet Jesus of Nazareth !
dear King of the Jews ! the
good, the beautiful, the flower-
like Jesus !

He suffers death and tor-
ments for the salvation of his
people : he is pale and livid
with his wounds.

Dulcis Jesus Nazarenus,
Judseorum Rex amcenus,
Pius, pulcher, floridus.

Pro salute suse gentis
Subit mortem cum tormen-

tis,
Factus pallens, lividus.

276

CHRISTMAS.

Dulce Nomen et cogno-
men,
Hoc transcendens est prae-

nomen
Omnibus nominibus.

Mulcet reos, sanat eos ;
Fovet justos, munit eos ;
Servans ab insultibus.

Hujus Kegis sub vexillo
Statu degis in tranquillo :
Hostes tui fugiunt.

Nomen Jesu meditatum
Belli fugat apparatum,
Hostes victi fugiunt.

Hoc est Nomen recolen-
dum,
Quod sic semper est tre-

mendum
Malignis spiritibus.

Hoc est Nomen salutare,
Et solamen singulare,
Quod succurrit tristibus.

Hoc nos decet honorare,
Area cordis inserare,
Cogitare, peramare,
Amore sed heroico.

Ignatius hoc docuit,
Hoc passus insonuit,
Cor ejus scissum patuit
Inscriptum Jesu ccelico.

Ut quid majora cupimus
Quam quod Jesus sit inti-

mus :
Qui est praeamantissimus,
Et quaerit nos amare.

Amat ferventissime,
Amat constantissime,
Amat fidelissime,
Et suos vult juvare.

Nomen suum fecit tale,

Sweet Name and epithet !
It is the Name surpassing all
names.

It softens the sinner's heart,
and heals him : it warms
up the just, and strengthens
them, and defends them from
temptation.

Under this King's standard,
thou livest in peace, for thine
enemies fly before thee.

Think upon the Name of
Jesus, and it will break up
thine enemies' plans, conquer
them, and put them to flight.

This is the Name deserving
of all honour, at which the
wicked spirits ever tremble.

This is the Name of salva-
tion, and the wonderful con-
solation which comforts the
sorrowful.

It behoves us to honour this
Name, put it in the treasury
of our heart, think on it, love
it, but love it bravely.

Ignatius taught men this
Name ; when he suffered
martyrdom he had it on his
lips, and when his heart was
opened, there was found writ-
ten on it this heavenly word
Jesus.

What could we wish for
better than this, to have
Jesus as a bosom-friend ] He
is lovely above all measure,
and desires to love us.

He loves most ardently, he
loves most constantly, he loves
most faithfully, and seeks how
to assist his friends.

He made his own Name,

2ND SUNDAY: FEAST OF THE HOLY NAME. 277

and he made it such as that
all should love it above all
names, and before all names,
and more intimately than all
other names.

This is nature's law : that
we study our best to love him
who loves us, and cordially do
all we can to please him.

The Name of Jesus includes
all good things ; its sound is
sweet ; it merits for us a
throne in the kingdom ; it
gladdens our hearing.

The brightness of the Father
shines in it ; the beauty of
the Mother beams through it ;
the honour of the Father is
reflected in it ; the glory of
the Brethren comes from it.

Would any one, therefore,
know, how it is that the Name
of Jesus so wonderfully causes
the good to desire Him whose
Name it is %

It is that Jesus is beautiful
in comeliness, infinitely good
in worth, meek, gentle, and
sweetly prone to mercy.

Jesus is the King of glory ;
Jesus is beautiful in appear-
ance ; Jesus is graceful in
speech, and admirable in his
works.

Jesus is strong, and valiant ;
Jesus is a vigorous combatant ;
Jesus is generous in his gifts,
and loves to give.

Jesus is tenderly compas-
sionate ; Jesus is the enlight-
ened guide ; Jesus is the de-
light of all who know him,
and most sweet is his company.

Jesus is glorified throughout
the world ; Jesus brings the
fruit of blessings to all ; Jesus

Ut sit cunctis cordiale,
Capitale, principale,
Dilectum ex intimis.

Habent hoc naturae jura :
Ut amantem tota cura
Redamemus, placitura
Prsestantes ex animis.

Jesu Nomen omne bonum
Tenet, dulcem f acit sonum :
Promeretur regni thronum,
Auditum laetificat.

In hoc lucet splendor Pa-
tris,
In hoc patet decor Matris :
In hoc fulget honor Patris,
Hoc fratres magnificat.

Ergo si quis velit scire
Quare Nomen Jesu mire
Facit bonos concupire
Sui inhaerentia.

Jesu, pulcher in decore,
Summe bonus in valore,
Mitis, lenis, cum dulcore
Pronus ad clementiam.

Jesus est Rex gloriosus,
Jesus forma speciosus :
Jesus lingua gratiosus,
Et mirandus opere.

Jesus fortis, animosus,
Jesus pugil vigorosus,
Jesus donis copiosus,
Et gaudet tribuere.

Jesus pie viscerosus,
Jesus ductor luminosus,
Jesus est deliciosus,
Et sapit dulcissime.

Jesus fama gloriosus,
Jesus cunctis fructuo-
sus,

278

CHRISTMAS.

Jesus totus virtuosus,
Fovet suos optime,

Summe celsus in honore,
Summe gratus in amore,
Onmem laudem obtinet.

In sciendo omne sapit,
Ambiendo cuncta capit,
Diligendo corda rapit,
Et illata detinet.

Eia nobis Nomen gratum,
Dulcis Jesus appellatum :
Sit in corde sic firmatum,
Ut non possit erui.

Hoc reatum peccatorum
Tollat, prsestet jubilorum
Odas : sede beatorum
Donet nobis perfrui.
Amen.

is the source of every virtue,
and takes the tenderest care of
those that are his.

There is none equal to him
in honour, there is none like
him in affection, and all the
earth praises him.

He knows all things, and
holds all things in his omni-
present providence ; his love
wins him the hearts of his
creatures and keeps them fas-
tened to himself.

All hail, then, to this Name
so loved — " Sweet Jesus " /
May it be so fixed within our
hearts, that no power may
take it from us !

May it bring us the forgive-
ness of our sins ; may it in-
spire us to hymn God's praise ;
may it lead us to the posses-
sion of our blissful throne in
heaven. Amen.

We cannot refuse to our readers the following
Hymn from the ancient Missals of Germany, not-
withstanding its being, in several of the ideas and
expressions, a repetition of the one just given.

HYMN.

Nomen jure sublimatum,
In excelsis adoratum,
Nomen sunmise gloriae :
Gabrieli revelatum,
Et in terris nunciatum
Genitrici gratise.

Hasc octavo die natum,
Circumcisum more patrum,
Salvatorem nominat.
Universo publicatum
Mundo Nomen hoc beatum
Credentes salvificat.

In hoc lucet Trinitatis
Splendor atque unitatis ;

Jesus, Name so justly
honoured, adored in heaven,
and expressive of infinite
glory ! It was revealed to Ga-
briel, and announced on earth
to the Mother of divine grace.

She, on the eighth day, when
her Son had been circumcised
according to the Jewish cere-
mony, she called him Jesus.
The blessed Name was
preached to the whole world,
and saves them that believe.

The glory of the divine
Trinity and Unity blazes forth

2ND SUNDAY : FEAST OF THE HOLY NAME. 279

in this Name ; it gladdens
heaven ; the brightness of the
Father shines in it ; the beauty
of the Mother beams through
it ; the glory of the Brethren
comes from it.

This is the Name of salva-
tion, and the wonderful con-
solation which comforts the
sorrowful. It behoves us ever
to honour, and bless, and
praise, with joyful hearts, this
dear Name.

It is music when preached
to us ; it is sweet honey when
invoked by us ; it defends us
from temptation. It is joy to
us when we think on it, and
the wicked spirits are seized
with strange fear when they
hear us say it.

This is the Name that is
full of grace, and fruit, and
virtue, above all names. It
makes known to men the
gracious, the beautiful, the
loving face of God.

It is fair in beauty, it is
surpassingly good in worth,
its inner relish is most sweet ;
it is most powerful in energy,
most high in honour, and
gives a happy delight.

Do thou, therefore, good
Jesus ! Shepherd and Light
unfailing of our souls ! defend
us, and, for thy dear Name's
sake, let not the dismal chaos
of darkness ingulf us.

O thou the Reformer of all
nations, that destroyest death
by thy Life ! O Restorer of
the loss sustained by the An-
gels, give thyself unto us.

Amen.

Hoc ccelum lsetificat.
In hoc fulget honor Patris,
In hoc patet decor Matris,
Hoc fratres glorificat.

Hoc est Nomen salutare,
Et solamen singulare,
Quod succurrit tristibus.
Hoc nos decet honorare,
Benedicere, laudare
Semper laetis mentibus.

Hoc est melos praedica-
tum,
Dulce mel est invocatum,
Servat ab insultibus.
Jubilus est cogitatum,
Nomen mire formidatum
Malignis spiritibus.

Ecce Nomen gratiosum,
Fructuosum, virtuosum
Prse cunctis nominibus
Vultum Dei gratiosum,*
Speciosum, amorosum,
Ostendit hominibus.

Nomen pulchrum in de-
core,
Summe bonum in valore,
Intus sapit dulciter ;
Summe potens in vigore,
Summe celsum in honore
Delectat feliciter.

Ergo Pastor animarum,
Bone Jesu, et earum
Lumen indeficiens,
Propter Nomen tuum carum
Tetrum chaos tenebrarum
Obstrue, nos muniens.

O Ref ormator cunctarum
Nationum humanarum,
Vita mortem auferens,
Restaurator ruinarum
Virtutum angelicarum,
Te ipsum sis largiens.

Amen.

280 CHRISTMAS.

The Mass and Vespers of the 3rd and 4<th Sundays
after the Epiphany, as also of the Sundays of Sep-
tuagesima, Sexagesima, and Quinquagesima, will
be found at the end of this Volume. We have done
this in order not to interrupt the series of the Forty
Bays of Christmas, and to spare the Faithful the
trouble of searching for these Offices amidst the
Proper of the Saints.

JAN. 14. ST. HILARY. 281

Januaey 14.
SAINT HILARY,

BISHOP, CONFESSOR, AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH.1

After having consecrated the joyous Octave of the
Epiphany to the glory of the Emmanuel who was
manifested to the earth, the Church — incessantly
occupied with the Divine Child and his august Mo-
ther, during the whole time from Christmas Day to
that whereon Mary will bring Jesus to the Temple,
there to be offered to God, as the law prescribes —
the Church, we say, has on her Calendar of this por-
tion of the year the names of many glorious Saints,
who shine like so many stars on the path which leads
us, from the joys of the Nativity of our Lord, to the
sacred mystery of our Lady's Purification.

And firstly, there comes before us, on the very
morrow of the day consecrated to the Baptism
of Jesus, the faithful and courageous Hilary — the
pride of the Churches of Gaul, and the worthy asso-
ciate of Athanasius and Eusebius of Vercelli in the
battle fought for the Divinity of our Emmanuel.
Scarcely were the cruel persecutions of paganism
over, when there commenced the fierce contest with
Arianism, which had sworn to deprive of the glory
and honours of his divinity that Jesus, who had con-

1 We have put the Feast of St. Titus, the Disciple of St. Paul, at
the end of the Month. Having been quite recently inserted in
the Calendar, it has no fixed day ; and each Church is permitted
to keep it on the first day not occupied by another Feast.

282 CHKISTMAS.

quered, by his Martyrs, over the violence and craft of
the Roman Emperors. The Church had won her
liberty by shedding her blood, and it was not likely
that she would be less courageous on the new battle-
field into which she was driven. Many were the
Martyrs that were put to death by her new enemies —
christian, though heretical, Princes: — it was for the
Divinity of that Lord, who had mercifully appeared
on the earth in the weakness of human flesh, that
they shed their blood. Side by side with these, there
stood those holy and illustrious Doctors, who, with
the martyr-spirit within them, defended, by their
learning and eloquence, the Nicene Faith, which was
the Faith of the Apostles. In the foremost rank of
these latter we behold the Saint of to-day, covered
with the rich laurels of his brave confessorship,
Hilary : — who, as St. Jerome says of him, was brought
up in the pompous school of Gaul, yet had culled the
flowers of Grecian science, and became the Rhone of
Latin eloquence. St. Augustine calls him the illus-
trious Doctor of the Churches.

Though gifted with the most extraordinary talents,
and one of the most learned men of the age, yet St.
Hilary's greatest glory is his intense love for the
Incarnate Word, and his zeal for the Liberty of the
Church. His great soul thirsted after martyrdom,
and, by the unflinching love of truth which such a
spirit gave him, he was the brave champion of the
Church in that trying period, when Faith, that had
stood the brunt of persecution, seemed to be on the
point of being betrayed by the craft of Princes, and
the cowardice of temporising andun-orthodox Pastors.

Let us listen to the short Life of our Saint, con-
tained in the Lessons of his Office.

Hilarius, in Aquitania Hilary was born of a noble
nobili genere natus, doc- family in Aquitaine, and was
trina et eloquentia excelluit. distinguished for his learning

JAN. 14. ST. HILARY.

283

and eloquence. He was mar-
ried, but the life he led was
almost that of a monk, so that,
later on, on account of his
great virtues, he was made
Bishop of Poitiers, and so well
did he discharge the episcopal
office, as to be the object of
the deepest veneration on the
part of the faithful. At that
time, the Emperor Constan-
tius was inflicting every sort
of harsh treatment, intimida-
tion, confiscation of their pro-
perty, and banishment, on the
Catholics who refused to side
with the Arians. Hilary set
himself as a bulwark against
the Arians, thereby bringing
on himself all their fury. On
this account, they many times
sought to ensnare him, and at
length, by the treachery of
Saturninus, the Bishop of
Aries, he was banished from
the Council at Beziers into
Phrygia. There he raised a
dead man to life, and wrote
his twelve books On the
Trinity, against the Arians.

Four years after, a Council
was called at Seleucia, a town
in Isauria, at which Hilary
was compelled to assist.
Thence he set out for Con-
stantinople, where, seeing the
extreme dangers to which the
true faith had been exposed,
he petitioned the Emperor, by
three public petitions, to grant
him an audience, in order
that he might obtain permis-
sion to hold a controversy
with his adversaries con-
cerning matters of faith.
But Ursacius and Valens, two
Arian Bishops, whom Hilary

Qui primum in matrimonio
quasi monachi vitam egit ;
deinde propter singulares
virtutes Pictavorum episco-
pus creatur : quod munus
episcopale sic gessit, ut a
fidelibus sum mam laudem
consequeretur. Quo tem-
pore, cum terroribus, bono-
rum spoliatione, exilio et
omni crudelitate Constan-
tius Imperator Catholicos
vexaret, nisi ad Arianas par-
tes transirent : Hilarius tam-
quam firmissimum murum
se Arianis opponens, illo-
rum furorem in se concita-
vit. Itaque multis petitus
insidiis, tandem dolo Satur-
nini Arelatensis Episcopi,
de Synodo Biterrensi in
Phrygiam relegatus est : ubi
et mortuum suscitavit, et
libros duodecim scripsit de
Trinitate contra Arianos.

Quadriennio post coacto
Concilio ad Seluciam Isau-
riee urbem, Hilarius adesse
compulsus est : ac deinde
Constantinopolim profec-
tus, ubi extremum fidei peri-
culum animadvertit, tribus
libellis publice datis audien-
tiam Imperatoris poposcit,
ut de fide cum adversaries
coram disputaret. Verum
cum Ursacius et Valens
Ariani Episcopi, quos Hila-
rius scriptis confutarat,
praesentis eruditionem per-
timescerent, Constantio per-
suaserunt, ut specie honoris

284

CHRISTMAS.

eum in suum Episcopatum
restitueret. Tunc Hilarium
e prselio hsereticorum re-
vertentem, ut inquit sanctus
Hieronymus, Galliarum Ec-
clesia complexa est : quern
ad Episcopatum secutus est
Martinus, qui postea Turo-
nensi prsefuit Ecclesiae :
tantumque illo doctore pro-
fecit, quantum ejus postea
sanctitas declaravit.

Magna deinceps tranquil-
litate Pictavorum Ecclesiam
administravit : Galliamque
universam adduxit, ut Aria-
norum impietatem condem-
naret. Multos libros scrip-
sit mira eruditione : quos
omnes sanctus Hieronymus
ad Last am, sine ulla erroris
suspicione legi posse testa-
tur illis verbis : Hilarii li-
bros inoffenso decurrat
pede. Migravit in ccelum
Idibus Januarii, Valenti-
niano et Valente impera-
toribus, anno post Chris-
tum natum trecentesimo
sexagesimo nono. Eum a
multis Patribus et conci-
liis insignem Ecclesiae Doc-
torem nuncupatum, atque
uti talem in aliquot dicece-
sibus cultum, tandem, in-
stante synodo Burdigalensi,
Pius nonus, Pontifex Maxi-
mus, ex sacrorum Rituum
Congregationis consulto,
universse Ecclesiae Docto-
rem declaravit et confirma-

had refuted in his writings,
were afraid of allowing so
learned a man to continue there
any longer, and persuaded Con-
stantius to restore him to his
episcopal see, under the pre-
tence of showing him honour.
Then did the Church of Gaul
open her arms, as St. Jerome
says, to receive Hilary on his
return from battle with the
heretics. St. Martin, who was
afterwards Bishop of Tours,
followed the holy Doctor to
Poitiers ; how much he profit-
ed by the instructions of such
a master is evinced by the
sanctity of his after-life.

From that time, he was left
in perfect peace in the govern-
ment of the Church of Poi-
tiers. He led the whole of
Gaul to condemn the Arian
blasphemies. He composed a
great many exceedingly learned
books, of which St. Jerome, in
a letter to Laeta, says, that
they may be all read without
the slightest fear of meeting
any false doctrine in them ;
he assures her, that she may
run through the books of
Hilary without stumbling on
anything dangerous. He
passed from this earth to
heaven on the Ides of January
(January 13th), during the
reign of the Emperors Valen-
tinian and Valens, in the year
of our Lord 369. Hilary was
called, by several Fathers and
Councils, an illustrious Doctor
of the Church, and was
publicly honoured as such in
certain dioceses. At length,
at the petition of the Council
of Bordeaux, the Supreme

JAN. 14. ST. HILARY.

285

Pontiff, Pius the Ninth, after vit : ac ipsius festo die
having consulted the Congre- Missam et Officium de
gation of Sacred Rites, declared Doctoribus ab omnibus re-
him to have been justly called, citare jussit.
and to be in effect, a Doctor
of the universal Church ; and
ordered, that on his Feast, all
should recite the Mass and
Office Of Doctors.

The ancient Gallican Liturgy, of which a few
precious remnants have been handed down to us,
thus celebrated the praise of the most illustrious of
the Bishops of that great country. Our first extract
is an Allocution addressed to the Faithful, taken from
an ancient Sacramentary.

ALLOCUTION".

On the recurrence, Brethren,
of this solemn Feast of the
most blessed Bishop Hilary,
whose tongue, during his
mortal lif e, so thundered forth
the truth concerning the
equality of the Three Divine
Persons, that he, the soldier of
Christ, threw down the Prince
of this world, and entered a
conqueror into the palace of
the heavenly King — let us,
with more than our wonted
fervour, beseech the adorable
God, that He, who made
Hilary so vigilant in all his
combats as to give security in
the battle, may mercifully
grant to us, that what we ask
in his honour, may be granted
to us by his intercession.

This Preface, which extols the virtues and the
miracles of St. Hilary, was sung in the Church of
Gaul, even after the introduction of the Roman
Liturgy.

Adorabilem, populi, bea-
tissimi Hilarii antistitis f es-
tivitate solemniter recur-
rente, cujus lingua in sas-
culo pro sanctse Trinitatis
sequalitate sic tonuit, ut
hujus mundi Principem
miles Christi prosterneret,
et in ccelestis Regis aula
victor intraret, Dominum
votis uberioribus deprece-
mur, ut qui eum inter di-
versas acies ita fecit esse
sollicitum, ut redderet in-
ter bella securum, nobis
concedere dignetur, ut quod
in ejus honore deposcimus,
eo suffragante consequi me-
reamur.

286

CHRISTMAS.

PREFACE.

It is truly right and just
that we give thanks, and pay
our vows, and consecrate our
gifts to thee, O Holy Lord,
Father Almighty, Eternal God,
who didst choose unto thyself
the blessed Hilary thy Con-
fessor, that he might be the
Pontiff of thy sacred doctrines.
He was a great and brilliant
light, he was full of meekness
in his comportment, he was
all fire in fervour of faith, he
was a torrent of eloquence.
How great is his glory, is
shown by the concourse of
people at his tomb, the deli-
verance of the possessed, the
healing of sicknesses, and the
miracles of wonderful power.
He has, by nature's law, ended
his course and passed hence
away ; but the merits of the
Pontiff are still living there,
beyond the grave, where reigns
our Saviour, our Lord Jesus
Christ.

The following Prayer has been culled out of several
old manuscript Missals.

Vere dignum et justum
est gratias agere, vota sol-
vere, munera consecrare,
Domine sancte, Pater om-
nipotens, aeterne Deus, qui
beatum Hilarium Confesso-
rem tuum praeelegisti tibi
sacratae confessionis tuae an-
tistitem, ingenti lumine co-
ruscantem, morum lenitate
pollentem, fidei fervore fla-
grantem, eloquii fonte tor-
rentem : cui quae sit gloria-
tio ostendit concursus ad
tumulum, purificatio incur-
sorum, medela languen-
tium, mirandarum signa
virtutum. Qui etsi natura
fecit finem per transitum,
illic vivunt Pontificis me-
rita post sepulcrum, ubi
praesentia Salvatoris est
Jesu Christi Domini nostri.

PEAYEPw

Deus, cujus miseratione
delinquentes mutantur ad
veniam, justi transferun-
tur ad palmam, qui infusus
in corde beati Hilarii antis-
titis quasi de tuo templo
fidei responsa dedisti, con-
cede propitius, ut qui tunc
inclytumConfessorem tuum
fecisti Caesarem non ti-
mere, ejus intercessione ab
spiritali hoste plebem pro-

O God, by whose mercy
sinners are raised up to par-
don, and the just are trans-
lated to heaven for their
crown ; who, poured out into
the heart of the blessed Bishop
Hilary, didst thence, as from
thy sanctuary, give the answers
of faith ; mercifully grant
that, as thou didst make thy
glorious Confessor to be fear-
less before Caesar, so mayest

JAN. 14. ST. HILAEY.

287

thou, by his intercession, pro- tegas obsecrantem, ut cujus
tect thy suppliant people solemnitati tripudiat, ejus
from their spiritual enemy : sit fida prece defensa.
thus may they, who rejoice on
his solemnity, be defended by
his powerful prayers.

The Church of Poitiers has ever cherished, with
the utmost devotion, the memory of her heroic Pon-
tiff, and his Feast, as we may suppose, is kept there
with the utmost solemnity. She sings, in the Mass
of this day, the Preface of the Blessed Trinity, to
express more forcibly her admiration of the zeal,
wherewith Hilary defended the master-dogma of
our holy faith — the mystery of Three Persons in one
God. It will be interesting to our readers to hear
a few passages from the ancient liturgical books of
this illustrious Church of Poitiers. The following
Responsories are taken, in part, from the Life of the
Saint, and were composed by St. Yenantius Fortu-
natus, one of St. Hilary's successors.

EESPONSOEIES.

I£. Blessed Hilary shone
above others by the nobility
of his birth, to which was
added an unsullied heart ; *
He was as the day-star
is among other stars, ft.
Blessed Hilary, the Bishop of
the city of Poitiers, was born
in the province of Aquitaine.

* He was.

3£. Oh ! how perfect was he
not as a lay-man ! The very
Priests made him their model.

* His whole life was the fear-
ing Christ with love, and the
loving him with fear. ft. They
who follow him, attain to
glory ; they who follow him
not, incur punishment ; they
who believe him, are reward-

3$. Beatus Hilarius, prse
caeteris gratia generositatis
ornatus, nitore pectoris ad-
dito, * Quasi refulgens Lu-
cifer inter astra processit.
ft. Igitur beatus Hilarius,
Pictavensis urbis Episco-
pus, regionis Aquitanicae
partibus oriundus. * Quasi
refulgens.

1$. O quam perfectissi-
mum laicum ! cujus imita-
tores ipsi esse desiderant
sacerdotes ; * Cui non fuit
aliud vivere nisi Christum
cum dilectione timere, et
cum timore diligere. ft. Cu-
jus sequaces currunt ad
gloriam, divertentes ad pce-
nam : credenti succedunt

288

CHRISTMAS.

praemia,
*Chii.

recusanti tormenta.

I£. Turn itaque sanctissi-
mus Hilarius in Phrygiam,
Asias regioneni, missus est
exilio, ad virtutis augmen-
tum ; * Quia quantum, pro
Christi nomine, longius dis-
cedebat a solo proprio, tan-
tum merebatur fieri vici-
nior coelo. ft. Qui dum ad
locum pervenisset optabi-
lem, nobis tacendum non
est quid illi concessum est.
* Quia.

1$. Cum de exilio regres-
sus sanctus Hilarius Ponti-
f ex Pictavim introivit ;
summo favore plaudebant
omnes pariter, * Eo quod
recepisset Ecclesia Pontifi-
cem, grex Pastorem. ft.
Gemma praesulum remean-
te ad propria, laudemus
Dominum ; laetetur quoque
chorus Angelorum. * Eo
quod.

ed ; they who disbelieve him,
are tormented. * His whole
life.

1$. The most saintly Hilary
was therefore banished into
Phrygia, a country of Asia;
it served but to increase his
virtue ; * since the further,
for the name of Christ, he
was separated from his own
land, the nearer he deserved
to be made to heaven, ft.
When he had reached the
longed-for place, great were
the favours bestowed on him,
and we will publish them.

* Since.

I£. When the holy Bishop
Hilary, returning from exile,
entered Poitiers, all men
were alike loud in the ex-
pression of unbounded joy.

* For the Church recovered
her Pontiff, and the flock its
Shepherd, ft. The pearl of
Bishops has returned home,
let us give praise to our
Lord, and let the choir of
Angels rejoice. * For the
Church.

The same venerable Church of Poitiers sings these
two Hymns in honour of her glorious Saint. They
were composed by the pious Simon Gourdan, a
Canon Regular of Saint Victor's Abbey, that cele-
brated House in Paris, where Adam of Saint- Victor
wrote his admirable Sequences.

HYMN.

Ex quo Kelligio, tot pro-
cerum parens,
Gallos addiderit Christia-
dum gregi,

From the time that the
Church, the mother of so
many great men, united Gaul
to the flock of Christ — who is

JAN. 14. ST. HILAEY.

289

there that can be compared to
Hilary? who is there that
ever defended more zealously
than he the Son of the Eternal
Father ?

Let the holy flock sing the
great titles of his glory, his
majestic eloquence, and his
innumerable gifts; but, his
grandest praise is the faith,
wherewith he so loudly pro-
claimed Christ to be the Son
of God.

The noble mitre, that glit-
tered on his venerable head,
was not indeed, purpled with
the blood of martyrdom • his
sacrifice was that of a thou-
sand cares, and his ceaseless
labours supply for the beauty
of martyrdom.

He was the bold defender
of the Mcene Faith, which
the fury of hell sought in vain
to destroy. The golden sword,
which came so brightly from
his mouth, drives away the
ravenous wolves.

With what beaming joy did
not his devoted flock welcome
him from exile ! How fair
the laurels he reaped in the
loDg campaigns for Christ !
He taught thee, O Martin ! to
walk with vigour in the path
of virtue.

Infinite praise to the Father,,
and infinite be to the Son,
begotten in the fruitful bosom
of the Father ; to the Son,
who is equal to the Father,
and God like Him. To the
Divine Spirit, too, be there
infinite praise !

Amen.

Quis par Hilario ? quis ge-
nerosius
Natum de Patre vindicat 1

Insignes titulos, eloquium
grave,
Dotes innumeras plebs sacra

concinat :
Laus suprema fides, qua
genitum Deo
Altis vocibus asserit.

Si non tinctafuit sanguine
profluo
Clara fronte micans infula

nobilis,
Curis mille litat : martyrii
decus
Supplet continuus labor.

Hoc Nicaena fides vindice
nititur :
Frustra tartareus concutit

hanc furor ;
Hie oris gladio fulgurat
aureo,
Vastantes abigens lupos.
Quo vultu reducem grex
pius excipit !
Quas post longa metit prae-

lia laureas !
Te, Martine, docet quam
pede strenuo
Virtutum rapias viam.

Patri maxima laus, maxi-
ma Filio,
Foecundo generat quern

Pater in sinu,
iEquum Principio, numine
comparem :
Sacro maxima Flamini.
Amen.

(2)

U

290

CHEISTMAS.

HYMN.

Non fraus magnanimuni
non favor ant niinse,
Athletam quatiunt : jussa

tyrannidis
Explens, Pastor oves lin-
quere cogitur ;
Quis jam contineat lupos]

Ergo, Prsesul, abis 2 dum
generosa mens
Te parere facit, Gallia lacry-

mas
Fundat : terra Phrygum sus-
cipiens patrem,
Verbi vindice gaudeat.

Erroris latebras Doctor
Hilarius
Spargit luce nova, fonteque

vivido
Expurgat nocuis pascua
faecibus.
Gentes erudit efferas.

Ipsos dum titubant, insti-
tuit fide
Pastores : redeunt mox ad

ovilia,
Quos error timidos abstule-
rat procul,
Et vocem Patris audiunt,

Praesul magne, poli qui
super ardua
Solem justitiae cominus ad-

spicis ;
Verbum nos doceat, quassu-
mus, impetra,
Cujus dogmata prsedicas.
Mundani metuant inipe-
rii ducem,
Qui terram sapiunt : Caesa-
ris haud timet

Nor craft, nor favour, nor
threat, can move this high-
minded soldier of Christ. He
obeys the sentence of the
tyrant, and the flock is de-
prived of its Shepherd — oh !
who will now defend them
from the wolves %

And must thou then, Pon-
tiff, gol Thy noble mind
makes thee submit to the sen-
tence, but Gaul sheds floods of
tears. Phrygia receives thee
on her land, happy to possess
the champion of the Word In-
carnate.

Hilary, the holy Doctor,
darts the fresh light into the
lurking-holes of error, and
with a stream of living
water carries from the pas-
tures of the flock the poison-
ous slime. Barbarous na-
tions receive instruction at
his hands.

There were Pastors that had
faltered, and he confirms
them in the faith ; then sends
them back to the flocks they
had, in timid compromise to
error, abandoned ; and thus
the children hear their Fathers'
voice again.

Great Pontiff ! who now, in
heaven above, seest the Sun of
Justice face to face ; pray, for
us, we beseech thee, that He,
the Incarnate Word, whose
nature thou didst preach to
men, may teach us all truth.

Let worldly men, that are
earthly minded, fear if they
will an Emperor's tyranny :
Hilary hee4s not the passion

JAN. 14. ST. HILARY. 291

of an angry Caesar, but Infensi furias pastor, et

preaches, with holy liberty, asserit

the faith of Christ. Christi liberius fidem.

Infinite praise to the Father, Patri maxima laus, maxi-

and infinite be to the Son, be- ma Filio,

gotten in the fruitful bosom Fcecundo generat quern Pa-

of the Father ; to the Son, ter in sinu,

who is equal to the Father, iEquum Principio, numine

and God like Him. To the comparem :

Divine Spirit, too, be there Sacro maxima Flamini.

infinite praise ! Amen.

Amen.

Thus did the holy Bishop, Hilary of Poitiers, re-
ceive the honours of the Church's love for his having
so courageously, and even at the peril of his life,
fought in defence of the great Mystery. Another of
his glories is, that he was one of the most intrepid
champions of that principle, which cannot be com-
promised without the vitality and very existence of
the Church, being endangered — the principle of that
Church's Liberty. A few days ago we were cele-
brating the Feast of our holy Martyr, St. Thomas of
Canterbury ; to-day, we have the Feast of the glorious
Confessor, whose example enlightened and encouraged
him in the great struggle. Both Hilary and Thomas
a Becket were obedient to the teaching left to the
Pastors of the Church by the Apostles ; who, when
they were arraigned the first time before the authori-
ties of this world, uttered this great maxim : We
ought to obey God rather than men.1 The Apostles
and the Saints were strong in the battle against
flesh and blood, only because they were detached
from earthly goods, and were convinced, that the
true riches of a Christian and a Bishop consist in
the humility and poverty of the Crib, and that the
only victorious power is in the imitation of the sim-
plicity and the weakness of the Child that is born
unto us. They relished the lessons of the School of

1 Acts, v. 29.

292 CHRISTMAS.

Bethlehem ; hence, no promise of honours, of riches,
or even of peace, could make them swerve from the
principles of the Gospel.

How dignified is this family of Soldiers of Christ,
which springs up in the Church ! If the policy of
tyrants, who insist on being Christians without Chris-
tianity, carry on a persecution, in which they are
determined that no one shall have the glory of Mar-
tyrdom— these brave Champions raise their voice,
and boldly reproach the persecutors for their inter-
ference with that Liberty, which is due to Christ and
his Ministers. They begin by telling them their duty,
as Hilary did Constantius, when he sent him his
first Memorial : " My Lord and most gracious Au-
" gustus ! Your own great and admirable prudence
" tells you, that it is not right, nor possible, violently
" to compel, such as are unwilling and opposed to it,
" to submit to, and take part with, them that are
" sowing the corrupt seed of false doctrine. The one
" end of your endeavours, wise counsels, government,
"and vigilance, should be, that all your subjects may
" enjoy the sweets of liberty. There is no other
" means of settling the troubles of the state, or of
" uniting what discord has separated, than that every
" one be master of his own life, unconstrained by
"slavish compulsion. You should not turn a deaf
" ear to the voice of any subject, who thus appeals to
" you for support : ' I am a Catholic ; I will not be a
" ' heretic : I am a Christian, and not an Arian : I
" ' would rather lose my life, than allow the tyranny
" ' of any man to corrupt the purity of my faith.' '

When some people spoke to Hilary in favour of
those who had been traitors to the Church, and had
been disloyal to Jesus Christ, in order to keep in the
good graces of the Emperor, they ventured to tell
the Saint, that their conduct was justifiable, on the
ground that they had but obeyed the Law! The
holy Pontiff was indignant at this profanation of the

JAN. 14. ST. HILARY. 293

word, and, in his Book against Auxentius, courage-
ously reminds his fellow Bishops of the origin of the
Church — how her very establishment depended on
the breaking of unjust human Laws, and how she
counts it one of her glories to infringe all such Laws
as would oppose her existence, her development, and
her action.

" We have a contempt for all the trouble that men
" of these days are giving themselves ; and I am
"grieved to see them holding such mad opinions, as
" that God needs man's patronage, and that the Church
" of Christ requires to be upheld by an ambition, that
" curries favour with the world. I ask of you Bishops,
" what favour did the Apostles court, in order that
"they might preach the Gospel? Who were the
"princes that helped them to preach Christ, and
" convert almost the whole world from idolatry to
" God ? Did they, who sang hymns to God in
" prisons and chains, and whilst bleeding from being
" scourged, did they accept offices from the state ?
" Did Paul wait for a royal permission to draw men
" to the Church of Christ ? Did he, think you,
" cringe for the patronage of a Nero, or a Vespasian,
" or a Decius, whose very hatred of our faith was the
" occasion of its being more triumphantly preached ?
" These Apostles, who lived by the labour of their
"own hands, who assembled the Faithful in garrets
" and hiding-places, who visited villages and towns,
" and well nigh the whole world, travelling over sea
" and land, in spite of the Senate's decrees and Im-
" perial Edicts — these men, according to your prin-
" ciples, had not received the keys of the kingdom of
"heaven! What say you to all this manifestation
" of God's power in the very face of man's opposition,
" when, the more there was a prohibition to preach
" Christ, the more that preaching was exercised ?"

But the time came, at last, to speak to the Em-
peror himself, and to protest against the system

294 CHRISTMAS.

whereby he aimed at making the Church a slave :
then did Hilary, who was exceedingly gentle in dis-
position, put on that holy indignation, which our
Lord himself had, when he scourged the profaners of
his Father's House, and drove them out of the
Temple. He braved every danger, and held up to
execration the system invented by Constantius for
insulting and crushing the Church of Christ. Let
us listen to the language of his apostolic zeal.

" The time for speaking is come, for the time for
" silence is past. Let Christ now appear, for Anti-
" christ has begun his reign. Let the Shepherds give
" the alarm, for the hirelings have fled. Let us lay
" down OTir lives for our sheep, for thieves have got
" into the fold, and a furious lion is prowling around
" it. Let us prepare for martyrdom * * , for the
"angel of satan hath transformed himself into an
" angel of light. * *

"Why, O my God, didst thou not permit me to
" confess thy holy Name, and be the minister of
" thine Only Begotten Son, in the times of Nero or
" Decian ? Full of the fire of the Holy Spirit, I
"would not have feared the rack, for I would have
" thought on Isaias, how he was sawn in two. I
" would not have feared fire, for I would have said to
"myself, that the Hebrew Children sang in their
"fiery furnace. The cross and the breaking every
" bone of my body should not have made me a coward,
" for the good thief would have encouraged me, who
"was translated into thy kingdom. If they had
" threatened to drown me in the angry billows of the
" deep ocean, I would have laughed at their threats,
" for thou hast taught us, by the example of Jonas
" and Paul, that thou canst give life to thy servants
" even in the sea.

" Happy me, could I thus have fought with men,
" who professed themselves to be the enemies of thy
" name ; every one would have said, that they who

JAN. 14. ST. HILARY. 295

" had recourse to tortures, and sword, and fire, to
" compel a Christian to deny thee, were persecutors ;
" and my death would have been sufficient testimony
" to thy truth, O God ! The battle would have been
" an open one, and no one would have hesitated to
"call, by the honest name, these men that denied
" thee, and racked and murdered us ; and thy people,
" seeing that it was an evident persecution, would
"have followed their Pastors in the confession of
" their faith.

" But, now-a-days, we have to do with a disguised
" persecutor, a smooth-tongued enemy, a Constantius
" who has put on Antichrist ; who scourges us, not
■ • with lashes, but with caresses ; who instead of rob-
bing us, which would give us spiritual life, bribes
" us with riches, that he may lead us to eternal death ;
" who thrusts us, not into the liberty of a prison, but
" into the honours of his palace, that he may enslave
" us ; who tears, not our flesh, but our hearts ; who
"beheads not with a sword, but kills the soul with
" his gold ; who sentences not by a herald that we are
" to be burnt, but covertly enkindles the fire of hell
" against us. He does not dispute with us, that he
" may conquer ; but he flatters us, that so he may
"lord it over our souls. He confesses Christ, the
" better to deny Him ; he tries to procure a unity
" which shall destroy peace ; he puts down some few
" heretics, so that he may also crush the Christians ; he
" honours Bishops, that they may cease to be Bishops;
" he builds up Churches, that he may pull down the
"Faith. * *

"Let men talk as they will, and accuse me of
" strong language, and calumny : it is the duty of a
"minister of the truth, to speak the truth. If what
" I say be untrue, let me be branded with the name
" of an infamous calumniator : but if I prove what
" I assert, then am I not exceeding the bounds of
" apostolic liberty, nor transgressing the humility of

296 CHRISTMAS.

" a successor of the Apostles, by speaking thus, after
"so long observing .silence. * * No, this is not
" rashness, it is faith ; it is not inconsiderateness, it
" is duty ; it is not passion, it is conscience.

" I say to thee, Constantius, what I would have said
" to Nero, or Decius, or Maximian : You are fighting
"against God, you are raging against the Church,
" you are persecuting the saints, you are hating the
" preachers of Christ, you are destroying religion, you
" are a tyrant, not in human things, but in things
" that appertain to God. Yes, this is what I should
" say to thee &s well as to them ; but listen, now, to
"what can only be said to thyself: Thou falsely
" callest thyself a Christian, for thou art a new enemy
" of Christ ; thou art a precursor of Antichrist, and a
" doer of his mystery of iniquity ; thou, that art a
" rebel to the faith, art making formulas of faith ;
"thou art intruding thine own creatures into the
" sees of the Bishops ; thou art putting out the good,
"and putting in the bad. # * By a strange in-
" genious plan, which no one had ever yet discovered,
" thou hast found a way to persecute, without making
" Martyrs.

"We owe much to you, Nero, Decius, and
" Maximian ! }^our cruelty did us service. We con-
" quered the devil, by your persecutions. The blood
" of the holy Martyrs you made, has been treasured
" up throughout the world, and their venerable relics
" are ever strengthening us in faith by their mute
" ceaseless testimony. * * But thou, Constantius,
" cruel with thy refinement of cruelty, art an enemy
" that ragest against us, doing us more injury, and
"leaving us less hope of pardon. * # Thou de-
"privest the fallen of the excuse they might have
" had with their Eternal Judge, when they showed
" Him the scars and wounds they had endured for
" him, for perhaps their tortures might induce him
"to forgive their weakness. Whereas, thou, most

JAN. 14. ST. HILARY. 297

" wicked of men ! thou hast invented a persecution,
"which, if we fall, robs us of pardon, and, if we
" triumph, does not make us Martyrs !

" * * % We see thee, ravenous wolf, under thy
" sheep's clothing. Thou adornest the sanctuaries of
" God's temples with the gold of the State, and thou
" offerest to Him what is taken from the temples, or
" taxed by edict, or extorted by penalty. Thou re-
"ceivest his Priests with a kiss like that which
" betrayed Christ. Thou bowest down thy head for
" a blessing, and then thou usest it to trample on our
"Faith. Thou dispensest the clergy from paying
" tributes and taxes to Caesar, that thou mayest bribe
" them to be renegades to Christ, foregoing thy own
" rights, that God may be deprived of His !"

Glorious Hilary ! thou didst well deserve that thy
Church of Poitiers should, of old, address to thee the
magnificent praise given by the Roman Church to
thy illustrious disciple, St. Martin : " O blessed
" Pontiff ! who with his whole heart loved Christ our
"King, and feared not the majesty of emperors! O
" most holy Soul ! which, though not taken away by
" the sword of the persecutor, yet lost not the palm
" of martyrdom !" If the Palm of a Martyr is not in
thy hand, yet hadst thou a Martyr's spirit, and well
might we add to thy other titles, of Confessor, Bishop,
and Doctor, the glorious one of Martyr, just as our
holy Mother the Church has conferred it upon thy
fellow-combatant, Eusebius, who was but Martyr in
heart like thyself. Yes, thy glory is great ; but it is
all due to thee for thy courage in confessing the
Divinity of that Incarnate Word, whose Birth and
Infancy we are now celebrating. Thou hadst to
stand before a Herod, as had the Magi, and, like
them, thou fearedst not: and when the Caesar of
those times banished thee to a foreign land, thy soul
found comfort in the thought, that the Infant Jesus,
too, was exiled into Egypt. Oh! that we could

298 CHRISTMAS.

imitate thee in the application of these Mysteries to
ourselves !

Now that thou art in heaven, pray for our Churches,
that they may be firm in the Faith, and may study
to know and love Jesus, our Emmanuel. Pray for
thy Church of Poitiers, which still loves thee with
the reverence and affection of a child ; but since the
ardour of thy zeal embraced all the world, pray, also,
for all the world. Pray that God may bless his
Church with Bishops powerful in word and work,
profound in sacred science, faithful in the guardian-
ship of that which is intrusted to them, and
unswerving defenders of Ecclesiastical Liberty.

JAN. 15. ST. PAUL, FIRST HERMIT. 299

January 15.
SAINT PAUL/ THE FIRST HERMIT.

To-DAY, the Church honours the memory of one of
those men, who were expressly chosen by God to repre-
sent the sublime detachment from all things, which
was taught to the world by the example of the Son of
God, born in a Cave, at Bethlehem. Paul the Hermit
so prized the poverty of his Divine Master, that he
fled to the desert, where he could find nothing to
possess and nothing to covet. He had a mere cavern
for his dwelling; a palm-tree provided him with food
and clothing ; a fountain gave him wherewith to
quench his thirst ; and heaven sent him his only
luxury, a loaf of bread brought to him daily by a
crow. For sixty years did Paul thus serve, in
poverty, and in solitude, that God, who was denied a
dwelling on the earth he came to redeem, and could
have but a poor Stable wherein to be born.

But God dwelt with Paul in his cavern ; and in
him began the Anchorites, that sublime race of men,
who, the better to enjoy the company of their God,
denied themselves, not only the society, but the very
sight, of men. They were the Angels of earth, in
whom God showed forth, for the instruction of the
rest of men, that he is powerful enough, and rich
enough, to supply the wants of his creatures, who,
indeed, have nothing but what they have from Him.
The Hermit, or Anchoret, is a prodigy in the Church,
and it behoves us to glorify the God who has pro-
duced it. We ought to be filled with astonishment
and gratitude, at seeing how the Mystery of a God

300

CHKISTMAS.

made Flesh, has so elevated our human nature, as
to inspire a contempt and abandonment of those
earthly goods, which heretofore had been so eagerly-
sought after.

The two names, Paul and Anthony, are not to be
separated ; they are the two Apostles of the Desert ;
both are Fathers — Paul of Anchorites, and Anthony
of Cenobites ; the two families are sisters, and both
have the same source, the Mystery of Bethlehem.
The sacred Cycle of the Church's year unites, with
only a day between their two Feasts, these two
faithful disciples of Jesus in his Crib.

The Church reads in her Office, the following
abridgment of St. Paul's wonderful Life.

Paulus, Eremitarum auc-
tor et magister, apud infe-
riorem Thebaidem natus,
cum quindecim esset anno-
rum, orbatus parentibus
est. Qui postea declinandse
causa persecutionis Decii et
Valeriani, et Deo hberius
inserviendi, in eremi spe-
luncam se contulit : ubi,
pamia ei victum et vesti-
tum prsebente, visit ad cen-
tesimum et decimum ter-
tium annum : quo tempore
ab Antonio nonagenario
Dei admonitu invisitur.
Quibus inter se, cum antea
non nossent, proprio nomine
consalutantibus, et multa
de regno Dei colloquenti-
bus, corvus, qui antea sem-
per dimidiatum panem at-
tulerat, integrum detulit.

Post corvi discessum :

Paul, the institutor and
master of Hermits, was born
in Lower Thebais. He lost
his parents when he was fifteen
years of age. Not long after
that, in order to escape the
persecution of Decius and Va-
lerian, and to serve God the
more freely, he withdrew into
the desert, where he made a
cave his dwelling. A palm-
tree afforded him food and
raiment, and there he lived to
the age of a hundred and
thirteen. About that time, he
received a visit from Anthony,
who was ninety-years old.
God bade him visit Paul. The
two Saints, though they had
not previously known each
other, saluted each other by
their names. Whilst holding
a long conversation on the
kingdom of God, a crow,
which every day brought half
a loaf of bread, carried them a
whole one.

When the crow had left them,

JAN. 15. ST. PAUL, FIRST HERMIT.

301

Paul said : "See ! ourtrulygood
" and truly merciful Lord has
" sent us our repast. For sixty
"years, I have daily received
"a half loaf ; now, because
"thou art come to see me,
" Christ has doubled the por-
" tion for his soldiers." Where-
fore, they sat near the foun-
tain, and, giving thanks, they
eat the bread ; and when they
were refreshed, they again re-
turned the accustomed thanks
to God, and spent the night in
the divine praises. At day-
break, Paul tells Anthony of
his approaching death, and
begs him go and bring the
cloak, which Athanasius had
given him, and wrap his corpse
in it. As Anthony was re-
turning from his cell, he saw
Paul's soul going up into hea-
ven, amidst choirs of Angels,
and a throng of Prophets and
Apostles.

When he had reached the
hermit's cell, he found the
lifeless body : the knees were
bent, the head erect, and the
hands stretched out and raised
towards heaven. He wrapped
it in the cloak, and sang hymns
and psalms over it, according
to the custom prescribed by
Christian tradition. Not hav-
ing a hoe wherewith to make
a grave, two lions came at a
rapid pace from the interior of
the desert, and stood over the
body of the venerable Saint,
showing how, in their own
way, they lamented his death.
They began to tear up the
earth with their feet, and
seemed to strive to outdo each

Eia, inquit Paulus, Domi-
nus nobis prandium misit
vere pius, vere misericors.
Sexaginta jam anni sunt,
cum accipio quotidie dimi-
dii panis f ragmentum ; nunc
ad adventum tuum militi-
bus suis Christus duplica-
vit annonam. Quare cum
gratiarum actione ad fon-
tem capientes cibum, ubi
tantisper recreati sunt, ite-
rum gratiis de more Deo
actis, noctem in divinis lau-
dibus consumpserunt. Di-
luculo Paulus de morte,
quae sibi instaret, adnio-
nens Antonium, hortatur,
ut pallium, quod ab Atha-
nasio acceperat, ad invol-
vendum suum corpus affer-
ret. Quo ex itinere rediens
ille, vidit inter Angelorum
choros, inter Prophetarum
et Apostolorum coetus, Pauli
animam in coelum ascen-
dere.

Cumque ad ejus cellam
pervenisset, invenit genibus
complicatis, erecta cervice,
extensisque in altum mani-
bus corpus examine : quod
pallio obvolvens, hymnos-
que et psalmos ex Christiana
traditione decantans, cum
sarculum, quo terram fode-
ret non haberet ; duo leo-
nes ex interiore eremo ra-
pido cursu ad beati senis
corpus f eruntur : ut facile
intelligeretur, eos, quo modo
poterant, ploratum edere ;
qui certatim terram pedibus
effodientes, foveam, quae
hominem commode caperet,
effecerunt. Qui cum abiis-
sent, Antonius sanctum cor-

302

CHRISTMAS.

pus in eum locum intulit :
et injecta humo, tumulum
ex christiano more compo-
suit : tunicam vero Pauli,
quam in sportae modum ex
palma foliis ille sibi con-
texuerat, secum auferens,
eo vestitu diebus solenmi-
bus Paschse et Pentecostes,
quoad vixit, usus est.

other in the work, until they
had made a hole large enough
to receive the body of a man.
When they had gone, Anthony
carried the holy corpse to the
place, and covering it with the
soil, he arranged the grave
after the manner of the Chris-
tians. As to the tunic, which
Paul had woven for himself
out of palm-leaves, as baskets
are usually made, Anthony
took it away with him, and, as
long as he lived, wore it on
the great days of Easter and
Pentecost.

We give three stanzas of the Hymn sung by the
Greek Church in honour of our Holy Hermit. We
take them from the Menaaa.

XV. DIE JANUAEII.

Quando, nutu divino, Pa-
ter, vitas sollicitudines sapi-
enter reliquisti, et ad ascesis
labores transisti, tunc gau-
dens inviaoccupasti deserta ;
sestu innammatus amoris
Domini ; ideo deserens libi-
dines, in meliorum perseve-
rantia rerum, Angelo similis,
vitam duxisti.

Ab omni humana teip-
sum, Pater, societate segre-
gans ex adolescentia, pri-
mus omnino solitudinem,
Paule, occupasti ultra quem-
cumque solitarie viventem,
et per totam vitam visus es
incognitus ; ideo Antonius
te invenit nutu divino tam-

When, 0 _ Father ! thou
didst by divine inspiration,
wisely leave the cares of this
life, and devote thyself to the
labours of an ascetic, thou didst
joyfully enter the trackless
desert. Inflamed with the
heat of divine love, thou didst
abandon human affections,
and, Angel-like, didst spend
thy life in the persevering
search after more perfect
things.

Father ! thou didst, from thy
early youth, separate thyself
from all human society, and
wast the first to live in the
desert, surpassing all other
Anchorets. Thou, Paul, didst
pass thy whole life unknown
to men ; therefore was An-
thony divinely inspired to go

JAN. 15. ST. PAUL, FTEST HEEMIT. 303

in search, of thee, as the hidden quam latentem, et orbi ter-

Saint ; he found thee and re- rarum manifestavit.
vealed thee to the whole earth.

A life unknown to the Insolitae in terra conver-

world was thine, 0 Paul ! the sationi deditus, Paule, cum

wild beasts were thy compa- bestiis habitasti, avis minis-

nions, and a bird, sent thee teriodivinavoluntateutens;

by God, ministered to thee, et hoc ut vidit quando te

When the great Anthony maximus invenit Antonius,

found thee, and saw all this, stupens, omnium et Prophe-

he was filled with wonder, and tarn et Magistrum, quasi

never ceased speaking thy Deum, te sine intermissione

praises, as a Prophet and the magnificavit.
Teacher of all men, and as a
something divine.

Father and Prince of Hermits ! thou art now con-
templating in all bis glory that God, whose weakness
and lowliness thou didst study and imitate during
the sixty years of thy desert-life : thou art now with
him in the eternal union of the Vision. Instead of
thy cavern, where thou didst spend thy life of un-
known penance, thou hast the immensity of the
heavens for thy dwelling ; instead of thy tunic of
palm-leaves, thou hast the robe of Light ; instead of
thy pittance of material bread, thou hast the Bread
of eternal life ; instead of thy humble fountain, thou
hast the waters which spring up to eternity, filling
thy soul with infinite delights. Thou didst imitate
the silence of the Babe of Bethlehem by thy holy
life of seclusion ; now, thy tongue is for ever singing
the praises of this God, and the music of infinite
bliss is for ever falling on thine ear. Thou didst not
know this world of ours, save by its deserts ; but now,
thou must compassionate and pray for us who live in
it ; speak for us to our dear Jesus ; remind him how
he visited it in wonderful mercy and love ; pray his
sweet blessing upon us, and the graces of perfect de-
tachment from transitory things, love of poverty, love
of prayer, and love of our heavenly country.

304 CHRISTMAS.

THE SAME DAY.

SAINT MAURUS, ABBOT.

Saint Maurus — one of the greatest masters of the
Cenobitical Life, and the most illustrious of the Dis-
ciples of St. Benedict, the Patriarch of the Monks of
the West — shares with the First Hermit the honours
of this fifteenth day of January. Faithful, like the
holy Hermit, to the lessons taught at Bethlehem,
Maurus has a claim to have his Feast kept during
the forty days, which are sacred to the sweet Babe
Jesus. He comes to us each January to bear witness
to the power of that Babe's humility. Who, forsooth,
will dare to doubt of the triumphant power of the
Poverty, and the obedience shown in the Crib of our
Emmanuel, when he is told of the grand things done
by those virtues in the Cloisters of Fair France ?

It was to Maurus that France was indebted for the
introduction into her territory of that admirable
Rule, which produced the great Saints, and the great
Men, to whom she owes the best part of her glory.
The children of St. Benedict, by St. Maurus, struggled
against the barbarism of the Franks, under the first
race of her kings ; under the second, they instructed,
in sacred and profane literature, the people, in whose
civilisation they had so powerfully co-operated ; under
the third — and even in modern times, when the
Benedictine Order, enslaved by the system of Com-
mendatory-Abbots, and decimated by political
tyranny or violence, was dying out amidst every kind
of humiliation — they were the fathers of the poor by
the charitable use of their large possessions, and the

JAN. 15. ST. MATJKUS. 305

ornaments of literature and science by their im-
mense contributions to ecclesiastical science and
archaeology, as also to the history of their own
country.

St. Maurus built his celebrated Monastery of
Glanfeuil, and Glanfeuil may be considered as the
mother-house of the principal Monasteries in France,
Saint Germain and Saint Denis of Paris, Mar-
moutier, Saint Victor, Luxeuil, Jumieges, Fleury,
Corbie, Saint Vannes, Moyen-Moutier, Saint Wan-
drille, Saint Waast, La Chaise-Dieu, Tiron, Chezal
Benoit, Le Bee, and innumerable other Monas-
teries in France gloried in being daughters of
Monte-Cassino by the favourite Disciple of St.
Benedict. Cluny, which gave several Popes to
the Church — and among them, St. Gregory the
Seventh, and Urban the Second — was indebted
to St. Maurus for that Rule, which gave her her
glory and her power. We must count up the Apos-
tles, Martyrs, Bishops, Doctors, Confessors, and Vir-
gins, who were formed, for twelve hundred years,
in the Benedictine Cloisters of France ; we must
calculate the services, both temporal and spiritual,
done to this great country by the Benedictine Monks,
during all that period; and we shall have some idea
of the results produced by the mission of St. Mau-
rus— results, whose whole glory redounds to the
Babe of Bethlehem, and to the mysteries of his
humility, which are the source and model of the
Monastic Life. When, therefore, we admire the
greatness of the Saints, and recount their wonder-
ful works, we are glorifying our Jesus, the King of
all Saints.

The Monastic Breviary, in the Office of this Feast,
gives us the following sketch of the Life of St.
Maurus.

(2) X

306

CHRISTMAS.

Maurus Komanus a patre
Eutychio, Senatorii ordinis?
Deo, sub sancti Benedicti
disciplina, puer oblatus, et
in schola talis ac tanti mo-
rum magistri institutus,
prius sublimem monastics
perfectionis gradum, quam
primos adolescentiaa annos,
attigit : adeo ut suarum
virtutum admiratorem si-
mul et praaconero. ipsum-
met Benedietum habuerit,
qui eum velut observantise
regularis exemplar, cseteris
ad imitandum proponere
consueverat. Cilicio, vigi-
liis, jejuniis earn em conti-
nuis atterebat, assidua in-
terim oratione, piis lacry-
mis, sacrarumque litterarum
lectione recreatus. Per
quadragesimam bis tantum
in liebdomado cibo ita
parce utebatur, ut liunc
praagustare potius quam su-
mere videretur : somnmn
quoque stando, vel cum
nimia eum lassitudo com-
pulisset, sedendo, alio au-
tem tempore super agges-
tum calcis et sabuli strato
cilicio recumbens capiebat ;
sed ita modicum, ut noc-
turnas longioribus semper
precibus, toto etiam saspe
psalterio recitato, vigilias
praeveniret.

Admirabilis obedientise
specimen dedit, cum peri-
clitante in aquis Placido,
ipse sancti Patris jussu su-
per undas sicco vestigio am-
bulavit : et apprehensum ca-
pillis adolescentulum, hos-
tiam cruento gladio divini-

Maurus was by birth a Eo-
man. His father, whose name
was Eutychius, and a Senator
by rank, had placed him, when
a little boy, under the care of
St. Benedict. Trained in the
school of such and so great a
Master of holiness, he attained
to the highest degree of mo-
nastic perfection, even before
he had ceased to be a child ; so
that Benedict himself was in
admiration, and used to speak
of his virtues to every one,
holding him forth to the rest
of the house as a model of
religious discipline. He sub-
dued his flesh by austerities,
such as the wearing a hair-shirt,
night watching, and frequent
fasting ; giving, meanwhile,
to his spirit the solace of assi-
duous prayer, holy compunc-
tion, and reading the Sacred
Scriptures. During Lent, he
took food but twice in the
week, and that so sparingly, as
to seem rather to be tasting
than taking it. He slept stand-
ing, or, when excessive fatigue
obliged him to it, sitting, or, at
times, lying down on a heap
of lime and sand, over which
he threw his hair-shirt. His
sleep was exceedingly short,
for he always recited very long
prayers, and often the whole
of the Psalms, before the mid-
night Office.

He gave a proof of his ad-
mirable spirit of obedience on
the occasion of Placid's having
fallen into the lake, and be-
ing nearly drowned. Maurus,
at the bidding of the Holy
Father, ran to the lake, walk-
ed dry-shod upon the water,

JAN. 15. ST, MAUKTJS.

307

and, taking the child by the
hair of his head, drew him
safe to the bank ; for Placid
was to be slain by the sword
as a martyr, and our Lord re-
served him as a victim, which
should be offered to him. On
account of such signal virtues
as these, the same Holy Fa-
ther made Maurus share the
cares of his duties ; for, from
his very entrance into the mo-
nastic life, he had had a part
in his miracles. He had been
raised to the holy order of
Deaconship by St. Benedict's
command ; and by placing
the stole he wore on a dumb
and lame boy, he gave him
the power both to speak and
walk.

Maurus was sent by his
Holy Father into France.
Scarcely had he set his foot
on that land, than he had a
vision of the triumphant en-
trance of that great saint into
heaven. He promulgated in
that country the Hule which
St. Benedict had written with
his own hand, and had given
to him on his leaving Italy ;
though the labour and anx-
iety he had to go through in
the accomplishment of his
mission, were exceedingly
great. Having built the cele-
brated Monastery, which he
governed for forty years, so
great was the reputation of
his virtues, that several of the
noblest lords of King Theo-
dobert's court put themselves
under Maurus' direction, and
enrolled in the holier and
more meritorious warfare of
the monastic life.

tus reservatam, ex aquis
incolumem extraxit. Hinc
eum ob eximias virtutes
beatus idem Pater sibi cu-
rarum consortem assump-
sit : quern jam inde ab ipsis
monasticse vitse tirociniis
socium miraculorum ascive-
rat. Ad sacrum Levitarum
ordinem ex ejusdem sancti
Patris imperio promotus,
stola quam ferebat, muto
puero vocem, eidenique
claudo gressum impertivit.

Missus in Galliam ab eo-
dem sancto Benedicto, vix
earn ingressus erat, cum
triumphalem beatissimi Pa-
tris in ccelos ingressum sus-
pexit. Gravissimis subinde
laboribus, curisque perfunc-
tus, Regulam ejusdem Le-
gislatoris manu exaratam
tamque promulgavit : ex-
tructoque celebri monaste-
rio, cui quadraginta annos
prsefuit, fama nominis sui
factorumque adeo inclaruit,
ut nobilissimi proceres, ex
aula Theodeberti regis, in
sanctiore militia merituri,
ad ejus signa convolarint.

308

CHEISTMAS.

Biennio ante obitum ab-
dicans se Monasterii regi-
mine, in cellam sancti Mar-
tini sacello proxiuiani se-
cessit : nbi se in arctioris
pcenitentise operibus exer-
cens, cum humani generis
hoste, internecionem Mo-
nachis minitante, pugnatu-
rus in arenam descendit.
Qua in lucta solatoreni An-
geluni bonum habuit, qui
Mali astus, divinumque illi
decretuni aperiens, euni
una cum discipulis ad coro-
nam evocavit. Quare cum
emeritos milites supra cen-
tum dux ipse brevi secutu-
rus, veluti totidem triumphi
sui antecessors, in coelum
prseniisisset : in Oratorium
deferri voluit, ubi vitae Sa-
cramento munitus, substra-
toque cilicio recubans _ ad
aram ipse victima, pretiosa
morte procubuit septuage-
nario major, postquam in
Galliis Monasticam disci-
plinam nririfice propagas-
set, innumeris ante et post
obitum clams miraculis.

Two years before his death.,
he resigned the government
of his Monastery, and retired
into a cell near the Oratory of
St. Martin. There he exer-
cised himself in most rigorous
penance, wherewith he for-
tified hhnself for the contest
he had to sustain against
the enemy of mankind, who
threatened him with the death
of his Monks. In this com-
bat a holy Angel was his
comforter, who, after reveal-
ing to him the snares of the
wicked spirit, and the designs
of God, bade him and his
disciples win the crown pre-
pared for tliem. Having,
therefore, sent to heaven be-
fore him, as so many fore-
runners, a hundred and more
of his brave soldiers, and
knowing that he, their leader,
was soon to follow them, he
signified his wish to be carried
to the Oratory, where, being
strengthened by the Sacra-
ment of Life, and lying on
his hair-shirt, as a victim be-
fore the Altar, he died a
saintly death. He was up-
wards of seventy years of age.
It would be difficult to de-
scribe the success wherewith
he propagated Monastic dis-
cipline in France, or to tell
the miracles which, both be-
fore and after his death, ren-
dered him glorious among
men.

"We give a selection of Antiphons, taken from the
Monastic Office of St. Maurus.

Beatus Maurus
genere illustris,

patricio The blessed Maurus, illus-
a puero trious by birth, as being of a

JAN. 15. ST. MATJETJS.

309

patrician family, esteemed the
reproach of Christ our Lord
to be greater riches than the
treasures of this world.

The Lord clothed him with
the holy stole of Levites :
wherewith he made the lame
walk, and the dumb speak.

Being sent into France, he
enlightened all men by the
teaching of the Rule, as the
day-dawn lights the world,
and he made it known even
to distant lands.

The solitude of the new
monastery bloomed with the
coming of Floras and the chief
nobles of the kingdom ; it
was glad and flowered as the
lily.

When near his death, he
sent before him to heaven the
children he had begotten in
Christ ; and whilst in prayer,
he laid down his body at the
altar, his soul resting in hea-
ven. Alleluia.

O most worthy Disciple of
his Father Benedict, who
made him heir of his own
spirit, that he might become
the chief promulgator of the
Holy Rule, and the wonderful
propagator of the Monastic
Order in France ! Alleluia.

O blessed Mauras ! who,
from early childhood, de-
spised the world, and lovingly
bore the yoke of the Holy
Rule, and, being obedient even
unto death, denied himself,
that he might cling unreserv-
edly to Christ. Alleluia.

On this day, did Saint
Mauras, laid before the Altar
on his hair-shirt, happily
breathe forth his souL On

majores divitias sestimavit
thesauris mundi, imprope-
rium Christi Domini.

Induit eumDominus stola
sancta Levitarum, qua clau-
dos fecit ambulare, et mutos
loqui.

In Franciam missus, doc-
trinam Regulae quasi ante-
lucanum ifluminavit omni-
bus, et enarravit earn usque
ad longinquum.

Floro, primariisque Beg-
ni proceribus decorata ex-
sultabat, et florebat quasi
lilium novi ccenobii soli-
tude

Quos in Christo genuerat
filios, morti proximus in
ccelum prsemisit, et inter
preces corpus ad aras, ani-
mam coelo deposuit. Alle-
luia.

0 dignissimum Patris Be-
nedicti discipulum, quern
ipse sui spiritus haeredem
reliquit, ut Regulae sanctse
promulgator esset prima-
rius, et in Galliis Monastici
Ordinis propagator mirifi-
cus. Alleluia.

O beatum virum, qui
spreto ssecuio jugum sanctae
Regulae a teneris annis
amanter portavit, et f actus
obediens usque ad mortem
semetipsum abnegavit, ut
Christo totus adhaereret.
Alleluia.

Hodie sanctus Mauras
super cicilium stratus, co-
ram altari. f eliciter occubuit.
Hodie primogenitus beati

310

CHEISTMAS.

Benedicti discipulus per du-
catum sanctas Regulaa secu-
rus ascendens, choris comi-
tatus angelicis, pervenit ad
Christum. Hodie vir obe-
diens, loquens victorias, a
Domino coronari meruit.
Alleluia, alleluia.

this day, the eldest disciple of
blessed Benedict, securely as-
cending by the path of the
Holy Rule, and accompanied
by choirs of Angels, was led
to Christ. On this day, the
obedient man, speaking vic-
tory, was rewarded by receiv-
ing the crown from his Lord.
Alleluia, alleluia.

The Responsories of the same Office are equally

fine.

We select the following.

I£. Maurus a teneris annis
sancto Benedicto in disci-
plinam ab Eutychio patre
in Sublaco traditus, Magis-
tri sui virtutes imitando ex-
pressit, * Et similis ejus
effectus est. ft. Inspexit et
fecit secundum exemplar,
quod ipsi in monte monstra-
tum est. * Et similis.

1$. Prolapso in lacum Pla-
cido, Maurus advolans, Spi-
ritu Domini ferebatur super
aquas ; * Dum Patri suo in
auditu auris obediret. ft.
Aquas multae non potuerunt
extinguere charitatem ejus,
neque flumina illam ob-
ruere. * Dum Patri.

I£. Sanctus Benedictus
dilectum prae caeteris Disci-
pulum suum Maurum trans-
mittit in Galliam : * Et
magnis patitur destitui sola-
tiis, ut proximi saluti pro-
videat. ft. Charitas benigna
est, nee quaerit quae sua
sunt, sed quae Jesu Christi.
* Et magnis.

1^. Maurus, when quite a
child, was taken to Subiaco,
and consigned by his father
Eutychius to the care of Saint
Benedict ; he imitated the
virtues of his Master, and re-
flected them in his own con-
duct, * And became like unto
him. ft. He looked and did
according to the image that
was shown him on the mount.

* And became.
1$. Placid having fallen into

the lake, Maurus flies to his
rescue, and was borne upon
the waters by the Spirit of
the Lord ; * whilst obeying
his Father in the hearing of
the ear. ft. Many waters
could not quench his charity,
neither could floods drown it.

* Whilst obeying.
Jfe. Saint Benedict sent into

France his disciple Maurus,
whom he loved above the rest :

* And suffers himself to be
deprived of his great consola-
tion, that he may provide for
his neighbour's salvation. *
Charity is kind, neither seek-
eth she her own, but the
things that are of Jesus Christ.

* And suffers.

JAN". 15. ST. MAUKUS.

311

I£. Being rapt in God, he
beheld the path glittering with
countless lamps, whereby Be-
nedict was mounting to glory,

* For an endless eternity, ft.
The path of the just, as a
shining light, goeth forwards
and increaseth even unto
perfect day. * For an end-
less.

I£. The streams of wisdom
drunk by Maurus in the
bosom of the blessed Father
Benedict, he poured forth in
France ; * And he set the
shoots of the Holy Order
amidst the lilies of France. (V.
As a brook out of a river, he
waters the garden of his plants.

* And he set.

^. The Most Christian King
of the Franks went to the
monastery, that he might hear
the wisdom of the new Solo-
mon : * And he laid the regal
purple under his feet. W. Be-
cause he was humble in his
own eyes, the Lord glorified
him in the sight of kings. *
And he laid.

I£. He spent the two years
before his death in silence and
separation from men, * And
alone, he dwelt with himself
under the eye of the all-seeing
God. $". He prepared his
heart, and, in the sight of the
Lord, he sanctified his soul.

I^s. The greater part of the
brethren, who fought under
the leadership of Maurus, were
warned, by an Angel, of their
death, and fought their last
battle with the demon : * And
dying in that battle, they won
to themselves the triumph of
heaven. $". They fought the

I£. In Deo raptus viam
viclit innumeris coruscam
lampadibus, qua Benedic-
tus ascendebat in gloriam,
* In perpetuas aeternitates.
"fit. Justorum semita quasi
lux splendens procedit, et
crescit usque ad perfectam
diem. * In perpetuas.

I£. Quae in sinu beati Pa-
tris Benedicti hauserat Mau-
rus sapientiae flumina in
Galliis effudit ; * Et inter
Franciae lilia sacri Ordinis
propagines sevit. $". Quasi
trames aquae de fluvio riga-
vit hortum plantationum
suarum. * Et inter.

I£. Christianissimus Fran-
corum Rex venit ad monas-
terium, ut audiret sapien-
tiam novi Salomonis : * Et
regiam purpuram submisit
pedibus ejus. $". Quia hu-
milis fuit in oculis suis,
glorificavit ilium Dominus
in conspectu regum. * Et
regiam.

1$. Biennio ante mortem
siluit sejunctus ab homini-
bus, * Et solus in superni
inspectoris oculis habitavit
secum. <v. Praeparavit cor
suum, et in conspectu Do-
mini sanctificavit animam
suam. Et solus.

I£. Maxima pars fratrum
sub Mauro duce militan-
tium per Angelum de morte
monita, ultimum cum dae-
mone pugnavit : * Et in
ipso agone occumbens, cce-
lestes triumphos promeruit.
]v. Bonum certamen certa-
vit, cursum consummavit,

312

CHEISTMAS.

fidem servavit. * Et in ipso
agone.

1$. Postquam sexaginta
annos in sacra militia me-
ruisset, imminente jam
morte, ad aras deferri vo-
luit, ut efiunderet in con-
spectu Domini orationem, et
animam suam, dicens : *
Concupiscit et deficit anima
mea in atria Domini, jt. Al-
taria tua, Domine virtu-
tum, Rex meus, et Deus
meus. * Concupiscit.

Tfc. Substrato cilicio in
Ecclesia recumbens, ex
domo orationis transivit in
locum tabernaculi admira-
bilis, usque ad domum
Dei, * Cujus nimio amore
nagrabat. ftf. Coarctabatur
enim, desiderium habens
dissolvi, et esse cum Chris-
to. * Cujus nimio.

good fight, they finished their
course, they kept the faith. *
And dying.

1$. After he had merito-
riously served sixty years in
the holy warfare, and death
being at hand, he willed that
they should carry him to the
Altar, there to breathe forth,
in the presence of the Lord,
his prayer and his soul : he
said : * My soul longeth and
fainteth for the courts of the
Lord ; $\ Thy altars, 0 Lord
of hosts, my King and my
God. * My soul.

I£. Laid on his hair-shirt in
the Church, he passed from
the house of prayer into the
place of the wonderful taber-
nacle, even to the house of
God, * With love of whom he
burned exceedingly. ]fr. For
he was straitened, desiring to
be dissolved, and to be with
Christ. * With love.

Of the three Hymns to St. Maurus, we choose this,
as being1 the finest.

Maurum concelebra Gal-
lia canticis,

Qui te prole nova ditat, et
inclyti

Custos imperii, regiaprotegit

Sacro pignore lilia.
Hie gentilitiis maj or hono-
ribus,

Spretis laetus adit claustra
palatiis,

Calcat delicias, prsedia,
purpuram,

Ut Christi subeat jugum.

Sancti propositam Patris
imaginem

Hymn Maurus in thy can-
ticles, 0 France ! for he en-
riched thee with a new race ;
he is the guardian of thy fair
throne, and his sacred relics
protect thy royal lilies.

Rising above the honours of
his family, and deeming
palaces beneath him, he gladly
seeks the cloister : luxuries,
lands, robes of state, he
tramples on them all, that he
may take up the yoke of
Christ.

Strenuously does he express
in his conduct the image he

JAN. 15. ST. MAURUS.

313

had proposed to himself — he
does what his Holy Father
does : the Rule of the mo-
nastic life is brightly mirrored
in the actions of the youthful
Maurus.

Severe to himself, he sub-
dues the flesh by a rough
hair-shirt ; he bridles nature
by the law of perpetual
silence ; he spends his wake-
ful nights in prayer, and
whole days are passed in long
unbroken fast.

He flies at his Father's
bidding, and dryshod and
fearless treads upon the waters
of the lake ; he rescues Placid
from a watery grave, and, like
another Peter, sinks not as he
walks.

Unending praiseful ho-
mage be to thee, 0 Holy
Trinity, that givest to the
Saints the satiating Light of
the Vision ! Grant to thy
servants, who are walking in
the path of the Holy Rule, to
obtain the rewards so bravely
won by Maurus. Amen.

How blessed was thy Mission, 0 favourite and
worthy disciple of the great Saint Benedict ! How
innumerable the Saints that sprang from thee and
thy illustrious Patriarch ! The Rule thou didst
promulgate, was truly the salvation of that great
country which thou and thy disciples evangelised ;
and the fruits of the Order thou didst plant there,
have been indeed abundant. But now that from
thy throne in heaven thou beholdest that fair France,
which was once covered with Monasteries, and from
which there mounted up to God the ceaseless voice
of prayer and praise, and now thou scarce findest the
ruins of these noble Sanctuaries — dost thou not turn

Gestis comparibus sedulus

exprimit ;
Spectandis pueri lucet in

actibus
Vitae norma monasticae.

Se sacco rigidus content

aspero,
Fraenat perpetui lege si-

lentii ;
Noctes in precibus pervigil

exigit,
Jejunus solidos dies.

Dum jussis patriis exci-

tus advolat,
Sicco calcat aquat impavi-

dus pede,
Educit Placidum gurgite

sospitem,
Et Petro similis redit.
Laudem jugis honor sit

tibi Trinitas,
Quae vultus satias lumine

ccelites !
Da sanctae famulis tramite

Regulse
Mauri praemia consequi.

Amen.

314 CHRISTMAS.

towards our Lord, and beseech him that he make the
wilderness bloom once more as of old ? Oh ! what
has become of those Cloisters, wherein were trained
Apostles of Nations, learned Pontiffs, intrepid
defenders of the Liberty of the Church, holy Doctors,
and heroes of sanctity — all of whom call thee their
second Father ? Who will bring back again those
vigorous principles of poverty, obedience, hard work,
and penance, which made the Monastic Life be the
object of the people's admiration and love, and
attracted tens of thousands of every class in society
to embrace it ? Instead of this holy enthusiasm
of the ages of faith, we, alas ! can show little else
than cowardice of heart, love of this life, zeal for
enjoyment, dread of the cross, and, at best, comfort-
able and inactive piety. Pray, great Saint ! that
these days may be shortened ; that the christians of
the present generation may grow earnest by reflecting
on the sanctity to which they are called ; that our
sluggish hearts may put on the fortitude of knowing
and doing, at least, our duty. Then, indeed, will the
future glories of the Church be as great and bright
as our love of her makes us picture them to our-
selves— for, all the Church needs in order to fulfil her
destinies, is courageous hearts. Oh ! if our God hear
thy prayer, and give us once more the Monastic Life
in all its purity and vigour, — we shall be safe, and
the evil of faith without earnestness, which is now
producing such havoc in the spiritual world, will be
replaced by christian energy. Teach us, O Maurus !
to know the dear Babe of Bethlehem, and to get well
into our hearts his life and doctrine ; for we shall
then understand the greatness of our christian voca-
tion, and that the only way to overcome our enemy
the world, is that which He, our Master and Guide,
followed.

JAN. 16. ST. MARCELLUS. 815

January 16.
SAINT MARCELLUS, POPE AND MARTYR.

The name of Marcellus is brought before us by the
Calendar to-day — he was a successor of the glorious
Hyginus in the papacy, and in martyrdom, and their
Feasts fall in the same season of the year. Each
Christmastide shows us these two Pontiffs offering
their Keys in homage to our Jesus, the invisible
Head of the Church they governed. In a few days
hence, we shall find our Christmas list of Saints
giving us the name of a third Pope and Martyr —
Fabian. These three valiant Vicars of Christ are
like the three generous Magi — they offered their
richest presents to the Emmanuel, their blood and
their lives.

Marcellus governed the Church at the close of the
last general Persecution. A few months after his
death, the tyrant Maxentius was vanquished by
Constantine, and the Cross of Christ glittered in
triumph on the Labarum of the Roman Legions.
The time for Martyrdom was, therefore, very short ;
but Marcellus was in time ; he shed his blood for
Christ, and won the honour of standing in Stephen's
company over the Crib of the Divine Infant, waving
his palm-branch in his venerable hand. He with-
stood the tyrant Emperor, who bade him abdicate
the majesty of the supreme Pontificate, and this in
the very City of Rome ; for Rome was to be the
capital of another King — of Christ — who, in the
person of his Yicar, would take possession of it, and

316

CHRISTMAS.

her old Masters, the Caesars, were to make Byzantium
their Rome. It is three hundred years since the de-
cree of Caesar- Augustus ordered the census of the world
to be taken, which brought Mary to Bethlehem, and
where she gave birth to an humble Babe ; and now,
the Empire of that Babe has out-grown the Empire
of the Caesars, and its victory is upon the point of
being proclaimed. After Marcellus, we shall have
Eusebius ; after Eusebius, Melchiades ; and Melchia-
des will see the triumph of the Church.

The Acts of Marcellus are thus given in the Les-
sons of his Feast.

Marcellus, Roman us, a
Constantio et Galerio usque
adMaxentium Pontificatum
gessit. Cujus hortatu, Lu-
cina, Matrona Romana,
bonorum suorum Dei Ec-
clesiam fecit hseredem. Vi-
ginti quinque titulos in urbe
instituit, quasi diceceses
quasdam, et ad baptismum
pcenitentiamque eorum qui
ex infidelibus Christianam
religionem susciperent, et
ad Martyrum sepulturam.
Quibus rebus ira incensus
Maxentius, Marcello gravia
supplicia minatur, nisi, de-
posito Pontificatu, idolis
immolaret.

Qui cum insanas hominis
voces negligeret, misit eum
in catabulum, ut bestiarum,
quae publice alebantur, cu-
ram sustineret. Ubi Mar-
cellus assiduis jejuniis et
precibus novem menses vi-
tam duxit, parochias, quas
prsesens non poterat, visi-
tans per epistolas. Inde

Marcellus was a Roman,
and governed the Church
from the reign of Constantius
and Galerius to that of Max-
entius. It was by his coun-
sel that a Roman Matron,
named Lucina, made the
Church of God the heir of all
her property. He established
in the City, five and twenty
Titles, as so many districts,
for the administration of bap-
tism and penance to Pagans
converted to the Christian re-
ligion, and for the providing
burial to the Martyrs. All
this irritated Maxentius, and
he threatened Marcellus with
severe punishment, unless he
laid down his Pontificate, and
offered sacrifice to the idols.

Marcellus heeded not the
senseless words of man, and
was, therefore, sent to the
stables, there to take care of
the beasts, which were kept
at the public expense. In this
place Marcellus spent nine
months, fasting and praying
without ceasing, and visiting
by his letters the Churches he

JAN. 16. ST. MAECELLTJS.

317

could not visit in person. He
was thence delivered by some
of his clergy, and was har-
boured by the blessed Lucina,
in whose house he dedicated a
Church, which is now called
the Church of St. Marcellus.
Here did the Christians as-
semble for prayer, and the
blessed Marcellus preach.

Maxentius, coming to hear
these things, ordered that
Church to be turned into the
stable for the beasts, and Mar-
cellus to be made its keeper.
Sickened by the foul atmos-
phere, and worn out by his
many cares, he slept in the
Lord. The blessed Lucina
had his body buried in the
Priscilla cemetery, on the
Salarian Way, the seventeenth
of the Calends of February
(January 16). He sat five
years, one month, and twenty-
live days. He wrote a letter
to the Bishops of the Antioch
province, concerning the Pri-
macy of the Church of Home,
which he proves ought to be
called "the Head of the
" Churches." In the same letter
there occurs this passage, that
no Council may be rightly cele-
brated, without the authority
of the Koman Pontiff. He
ordained at Rome, in the
month of December, twenty-
five Priests, two Deacons, and
twenty-one Bishops for vari-
ous places.

What must have been thy thoughts, O glorious
Marcellus, when imprisoned in a stable, with poor
dumb brutes for thy companions ! Thou didst think
upon Jesus, thy Divine Master, how he was born in

ereptus a clericis, hospitio
recipitur a beata Lucina :
in cujus sedibus Ecclesiam
dedicavit, quae hodie titulo
sancti Marcelli nominatur :
in qua et Christiani orabant,
et ipse beatus Marcellus
prsedicabat.

_ Quibus cognitis, Maxen-
tius in earn Ecclesiam cata-
buli bestias transferri, et a
Marcello custodiri jubet :
ubi loci fceditate, multisque
serumnis j afnictus, obdor-
mivit in Domino. Cujus
corpus in ccemeterio Pris-
cillae, via Salaria, a beata
Lucina sepuJtus est decimo
septimo Kalendas Februa-
rii. Sedit annos quinque,
mensem unum, dies vi-
ginti quinque. Scripsit epis-
tolam ad Episcopos Antio-
chense provincial de Pri-
matu Romanae Ecclesiae,
quam Caput Ecclesiarum
appellandam demonstrat.
Ubi etiam illud scriptum
est nullum concilium jure
celebrari, nisi ex auctoritate
Bomani Pontificis. Ordina-
vit mense Decembri Romae
Presbyteros viginti quin-
que, Diaconos duos, Episco-
pos per diversa loca viginti
unum.

318 CHRISTMAS.

a stable, and laid in a manger between two senseless
animals. Thou didst appreciate the humiliations of
Bethlehem, and joyfully acknowledge that the
Disciple is not above his Master.1 But, from that
stable wherein the tyranny of an Emperor had
thrust it, the majesty of the Apostolic See was soon
to be set free, and its glory made manifest to the
whole earth. Christian Borne, insulted in thy per-
son, was soon to receive an additional consecration
by thy martyrdom, and God was on the point of
making over to thy successors the palaces of that
proud City, which then knew not the glorious des-
tiny that awaited her. O Marcellus ! thou didst
triumph, like the Babe of Bethlehem, by thy humi-
liations. Like Him, too, thou hadst thy cross, and
gavest thy life for thy sheep. Forget not the Church
of thy unceasing love — bless that Rome, which vene-
rates so profoundly the spot, where thou didst suffer
and die. Bless all the Faithful children of Christ,
who keep thy Feast during this holy Season, praying
thee to obtain for them the grace of profiting by the
mystery of Bethlehem. Pray for them, that they
may imitate Jesus, conquer pride, love the Cross,
and be faithful in all their trials.

1 St. Matth. x. 24.

JAN. 17. ST. ANTONY. 319

January 17.
SAINT ANTONY, ABBOT.

The East and West unite, to-day, in honouring St.
Antony, the Father of Cenobites. The Monastic
Life existed before his time, as we know from in-
disputable testimony; but he was the first Abbot,
because he was the first to bring Monks under the
permanent government of one Superior or Father.

Antony began with seeking solely his own sanctifi-
cation ; he was known only as the wonderful Solitary,
against whom the wicked spirits waged an almost
continued battle : but, in course of time, men were
attracted to him by his miracles and by the desire
of their own perfection ; this gave him Disciples ; he
permitted them to cluster round his cell ; and Monas-
teries thus began to be built in the desert. The age
of the Martyrs "was near its close ; the persecution
under Dioclesian, which was to be the last, was over
as Antony entered on the second half of his course :
and God chose this time for organising a new force
in the Church. The Monastic Life was brought to
bear upon the Christian world ; the Ascetics, as they
were called, not even such of them as were con-
secrated— were not a sufficient element of power.
Monasteries were built in every direction, in solitudes
and in the very cities ; and the Faithful had but to
look at these communities living in the fervent and
literal fulfilment of the Counsels of Christ, and they
felt themselves encouraged to obey the Precepts.
The apostolic traditions of continual prayer and

320 CHRISTMAS.

penance were perpetuated by the Monastic system ;
it secured the study of the Sacred Scriptures and
Theology ; and the Church herself would soon re-
ceive from these arsenals of intellect and piety her
bravest defenders, her holiest Prelates, and her most
zealous Apostles. Yes, the Monastic Life was to be
and give all this to the Christian world, for the
example of St. Antony had given her a bias to use-
fulness. If there ever were a Monk to whom the
charms of solitude and the sweetness of contempla-
tion were dear, it was our Saint ; and yet, they could
not keep him in his desert, when he could save souls
by a few days spent in a noisy city. Thus, we find
him in the streets of Alexandria, when the pagan
persecution was at its height ; he came to encourage
the Christians in their martyrdom. Later on, when
that still fiercer foe of Arianism was seducing the
Faith of the people, we again meet the great Abbot
in the same capital, this time, preaching to its in-
habitants, that the Word is consubstantial to the
Father, proclaiming the Nicene faith, and keeping
up the Catholics in orthodoxy and resolution. There
is another incident in the life of St. Antony, which
tells in the same direction, inasmuch as it shows how
an intense interest in the Church must ever be where
the Monastic Spirit is. We are alluding to our
Saint's affection for the great St. Athanasius, who,
on his part, reverenced the Patriarch of the Desert,
visited him, promoted the Monastic Life to the
utmost of his power, used to say that he considered
the great hope of the Church to be in the good dis-
cipline of Monasticism, and wrote the Life of his
dear St. Antony.

But, to whom is due the glory of the Monastic
Institute, with which the destinies of the Church
were, from that time forward, to be so closely con-
nected, as that the period of her glory and power was
to be when the monastic element flourished, and the

JAN". 17. ST. ANTONY.

321

days of her affliction were to be those of its decay ?
Who was it that put into the heart of Antony and
his disciples the love of that poor and unknown, yet
ever productive, life ? It is Jesus, the humble Babe
of Bethlehem. To him, then, wrapt in his swaddling-
clothes, and yet the omnipotent God, be all the glory !
It is time to hear the account of some of the
virtues and actions of the great St. Antony, given by
the Church in her Office of his Feast.

Antony was born in Egypt,
of noble and christian parents,
who left him an orphan at an
early age. Having, one day,
entered a Church, he heard
these words of the Gospel be-
ing read : If thou ivilt be per-
fect, go and sell all thou hast,
and give to the poor. He took
them as addressed to himself,
and thought it his duty to obey
these words of Christ his Lord.
Selling therefore his posses-
sions, he distributed all the
money among the poor. Being
freed from these obstacles, he
resolved on leading on earth a
heavenly life. But at his en-
trance on the perils of such a
combat, he felt, that besides
the shield of faith, wherewith
he was armed, he must needs
fortify himself with the other
virtues ; and so ardent was his
desire to possess them, that
whomsoever he saw excelling
in any virtue, him did he study
to imitate.

Nothing, therefore, could
exceed his continency and vi-
gilance. He surpassed all in
patience, meekness, mercy,
humility, manual labour, and
the study of the Sacred Scrip-
tures. So great was his aver-
(2)

Antonius iEgyptius, no-
bilibus et christianis paren-
tibus natus, quibus adoles-
cens orbatus est, cum in-
gressus Ecclesiam ex Evan-
gelio audivisset : Si vis per-
fectus esse, vade et vende
omnia quae habes, et da
pauperibus ; tanquam ea
sibi dicta essent, sic Christo
Domino obtemperandum
existimavit. Itaque, vendita
re familiari, pecuniam om-
nem pauperibus distribuit.
Quibus solutus impedimen-
tis, ccelestis vitae genus in
terris colere instituit. Sed
cum in periculosum illud
certamen descenderet, ad
fidei prsesidium, quo erat
armatus, adliibendum sibi
putavit subsidium reliqua-
rum virtutum, quarum
tanto studio incensus fuit,
ut quemcumque videret ali-
qua virtutis laude excellen-
tem, ilium imitari studeret.

Nihil igitur eo continen-
tius, nihil vigilantius erat.
Patientia, mansuetudine,
misericordia, humihtate,
labore, ac studio divinarum
Scripturarum superabat
omnes. Ab hsereticorum et
Y

322

CHRISTMAS.

schismaticoruin hominum,
maxime Arianorum, con-
gressu et colloquio sic
abliorrebat, lit ne prope
quidem ad eos accedendum
diceret. Humijacebat, cum
eum necessarius somnus oc-
cupasset. Jejunium autem
adeo coluit, ut salem tan-
tummodo ad panem adhi-
beret, sitim aqua extingue-
ret ; neque se ante solis
occasum cibo aut potu re-
creabat ; saepe etiam biduura
cibo abstinebat, ssepissime
in oratione pernoctabat.
Cum talis tantusque Dei
miles evasisset Antonius,
sanctissimum juvenem hos-
tis humani generis variis
tentationibus aggreditur,
quas ille jejunio, et oratione
vincebat. JSTec vero frequens
de satana triumplius secu-
rum reddebat Antonium,
qui diaboli innumerabiles
artes nocendi noverat.

Itaque contulit se in vas-
tissimam iEgypti solitucli-
nem, ubi quotidie ad Chris-
tianam perfectionem profi-
cients, dsemones (quorum
tanto erant acriores impe-
tus, quanto Antonius ad re-
sistendum fortior evadebat)
ita contempsit, ut illis ex-
probraret imbecillitatem :
ac saepe discipulos suos exci-
tans ad pugnandum contra
diabolum, docensque qui-
bus armis vinceretur : Mini
credite, dicebat, fratres :
pertimescit satanas piorum

sion for the company of, or
conversation with, heretics,
esrjecially the Arians, that he
used to say, that we ought not
even to go near them. He lay
on the ground, when necessity
obliged him to sleep. As to
fasting, he practised it with so
much fervour, that his only
nourishment was bread sea-
soned with salt, and he
quenched his thirst with water;
neither did he take this his
food and drink until sun-set,
and frequently abstained from
it altogether, for two succes-
sive days. He very frequently
spent the whole night in
prayer. Antony became so
valiant a soldier of God, that
the enemy of mankind, ill-
brooking such extraordinary
virtue, attacked him with ma-
nifold temptations ; but the
Saint overcame them all by
fasting and prayer. Neither
did his victories over Satan
make him heedless, for he
knew hoAv innumerable are the
devil's artifices for injuring
souls.

Knowing this, he betook
himself into one of the largest
deserts of Egypt, where such
was his progress in christian
perfection, that the wicked
spirits, whose attacks grew
more furious as Antony's re-
sistance grew more resolute,
became the object of his con-
tempt, so much so, indeed,
that he would sometimes taunt
them for their weakness. When
encouraging his disciples to
fight against the devil, and
teaching them the arms where-
with they would vanquish him.

JAN. 17. ST. ANTONY.

323

lie used often to say to them :
" Believe me, Brethren, Satan
" dreads the watehings of holy
" men, and their prayers, and
" fasts, and voluntary poverty,
"and works of mercy, and
" humility, and, above all, their
" ardent love for Christ our
"Lord, at the mere sign of
" whose most holy Cross, he is
"disabled and put to flight."
So formidable was he to the
devils, that many persons, in
Egypt, who were possessed by
them, were delivered by invok-
ing Antony's name. So great,
too, was his reputation for
sanctity, that Constantine the
Great and his Sons wrote to
him, commending themselves
to his prayers. At length,
having reached the hundred
and fifth year of his age, and
having received a countless
number into his institute, he
called his Monks together ;
and having instructed them
how to regulate their lives
according to christian perfec-
tion, he, venerated both for
the miracles he had wrought,
and for the holiness of his life,
departed from this world to
heaven, on the sixteenth of
the Calends of February (Ja-
nuary 17).

The Churches of the West, during the Middle-
Ages, have left us several Sequences in honour of St.
Antony. They are to be found in the ancient Mis-
sals. As they are not, by any means, remarkable as
liturgical pieces, we shall content ourselves with
inserting only one, omitting the three which begin :
Alone Confessor; — In hac die Icetabunda; — Anto-
nius humilis.

vigilias, orationes, jejunia,
voluntariam paupertatem,
misericordiam et humilita-
tem, maxime vero arden-
tem amorem in Christum
Dominum, cujus unico sanc-
tissimse Crucis signo debi-
litatus aufugit. Sic autem
daamonibus erat formido-
losus, ut multi per JEgyp-
tum ab illis agitati, invo-
cato nomine Antonii libera-
rentur : tantaque erat ejus
f ama sanctitatis, ut per litte-
ras se ejus orationibus Con-
stantinus Magnus et filii
commendarent. Qui ali-
quando quintum et cente-
simum annum agens, cum
innumerabiles sui instituti
imitatores haberet, convo-
catis monachis, et ad per-
fectam Christianas vitas re-
gulam instructis, sanctitate
et miraculis clams migra-
vit in ccelum, decimosexto
Kalendas Februarii.

324

CHRISTMAS.

SEQUENCE.

Pia voce praedicemus,
Et devotis celebremus
Laudibus Antonium.

Dei Sanctus exaltetur,
Et in suis honoretur
Sanctis, auctor omnium.

Hie contempsit mundi
florem,
Opes ejus et honorem :
Parens Evangelic

Et confugit ad desertum :
Ut non currat in incertum
In hoc vitse stadio.

Mira fuit ejus vita :
Clarus fulsit eremita.
Sed mox hostis subdoli

Bella perfert : saspe con-
cutitur
Gravi pugna : verum non

vincitur
Insultu diaboli.

Ictu crebro flagellatur :
Et a saevis laceratur
Immane daemonibus.

Lux de ccelo micuit :
Et clara personuit
Dei vox de nubibus.

Quia fortis in agone
Decertasti : regione
Omni nominaberis :

Te clamabit totus orbis.
Pro pellendis item morbis
Ignis, invocaberis.

Id, Antoni, nunc imple-
tum
Conspicamur, et repletum
Mundum tuo nomine.
Hoc implorat gens de-
vota :

Let us piously proclaim the
praises of Antony, and cele-
brate his name in sacred
hymns.

Let us honour God's Saint ;
and God, the author of all, be
honoured in his Saints !

Antony despised, in obe-
dience to the Gospel, the
beauty, and riches, and ho-
nours of the world.

He fled into the desert, that
he might not run at an uncer-
tainty, in the race of this life.

Wonderful was his life. He
was the celebrated hermit.
But, soon does the crafty
enemy

Wage war against him. The
combat is fierce and oft re-
newed ; but he is not van-
quished by the devil's attacks.

The demons scourge him
with many blows, and his
flesh is cruelly torn by the
angry enemy.

But, a light shone down
from heaven ; and the sweet
voice of God was heard speak-
ing from above :

" Because thou hast bravely
"fought in the combat, thy
"name shall be published in
" every country.

" The whole earth shall pro-
" claim thy glory. Thou shalt
"be invoked against the dis-
" ease of the Fire."

This, O Antony ! we see
fulfilled, and the world re-
sounds with thy name.

The devout servants of God
call on thy name, and fervently

JAN. 17. ST. ANTONY.

325

pray to thee for help and pro-
tection.

Sometimes, again, it is in
the appearance of a beautiful
woman, and sometimes under
the form of a piece of gold,

That the devil lays snares
for the holy man : but, after
all thy daring, O crafty tempt-
er ! thou art defeated in the
fight.

Yea, vain are his thousand
frauds and tricks ; and all
hell falls back bemoaning that
one single-handed man has re-
pelled them.

Roaring with rage, the
enemy trembles before this
venerable soldier, whose hand
so roughly deals its blows.

The brave combatant resists
these mighty enemies, and yet
he wears no breast-plate such
as soldiers use.

His drink is water, his bed
the ground ; these were his
arms, and by these he con-
quered.

Herbs were his food ; the
palm-leaf gave him raiment ;
and his companions were the
wild beasts of the wilderness.

He restrained lust by assi-
duous prayer, frequent manual
labour, and short sleep.

He confutes the Arians and
the profane Philosophers ; he
visits Paul the Hermit, nor
was the journey fruitless or
vain ;

For he found him alive, and
then saw his holy soul mount-
ing up to heaven, and buried
his body.

O Antony ! thou art now

Tibi pia def ert vota
Pro tuo munimine.

Nunc in forma speciosae
Mulieris : pretiosae
Nunc in massae specie,

Daemon struit illifraudes ;
Sed, qui tanta, vafer, audes,
Succumbis in acie.

Mille fraudes, mille doli
Sunt inanes : illi soli
Cedit orcus ingemens,

hunc

venera-

Militem
turn,
Et robustam ejus manum
Horret hostis infremens.

Non lorica corporali
Fultus, inimico tali
Hie athleta restitit.

Aqua potus, terra lectus
Illi fuit : his protectus
Armis, victor exstitit.

Herba fuit illi victus :
Palmae frondes et amictus,
Ac cum bestiis conflictus,
Intra solitudinem.

Precum assiduitate,
Operandi crebritate,
Atque somni parcitate
Restinxit libidinem.

Confutatis Arianis,
Et philosophis profanis,
Paulum visit, nee inanis
Fit via, nee irrita.

Nam convenit hunc vi-
ventem,
Inde sanctam ejus mentem
Ccelos vidit ascendentem,
Carne terrae reddita.

0 Antoni, cum beatis

326

CHRISTMAS.

Nunc in regno claritatatis
Gloriaris ; hie gravatis
Mole carnis, pietatis
Tuse pande viscera.

"Ne nos rapiat tremendse
Mors gehenna3, manum

tende.
ISTos a morbido defende
Igne, nobis et irnpende
Gloriam post f unera.

Amen.

in glory, with the Blessed, in
the kingdom of light ; show
thy affectionate pity on ns,
who are here weighed down
by the burden of the flesh.

Stretch out thy hand, lest
the death of terrible hell seize
upon us. Defend us from the
burning distemper, and assist
us to gain heaven when our
life is spent.

Amen.

The Greek Church is enthusiastic in her praises of
St. Antony. We extract the following stanzas from
her Mensea.

XVII. DIE JANUAEII.

Quando in sepulchro teip-
sum gaudens inclusisti, Pa-
ter, propter Christi amo-
rem, sufferebas quam for-
titer dsemonum insultus,
oratione et charitate isto-
rum fumo debiliora depel-
lens tentamenta ; tunc plau-
serunt Angelorum ordines
clamantes : Gloria roboranti
te, Antoni.

Helias demonstratus es
alter, habens celebres dis-
cipulos, novos Eliseos, sa-
piens, quibus et gratiam
tuam duplicem derehquisti,
raptus tanquam in curru,
sethereus pater ; nunc ab
illis decoratus, omnium re-
cordaris, beatissime, tuam
celebrantium cum amore
venerabilem festivitatem, o
Antoni.

In terris Angelum, in
coelis Dei virum, mundi or-
namentum, bonorum et vir-

When, 0 Father ! thou didst
shut thyself in a sepulchre,
with joy, for the love of
Christ, thou didst most brave-
ly endure the attacks of the
demons, putting to flight, by
prayer and charity, their
smoke-like temptations ; and
the choirs of Angels applaud-
ing, cried out : Glory, O An-
tony ! be to Him that
strengthens thee.

Thou wast as another Elias,
surrounded by thy glorious
disciples, the new Eliseuses ;
to whom thou, their wise fa-
ther, taken up as it were to
heaven in a chariot, didst
leave thy twofold grace ; now,
that they are thy ornament
above, thou art mindful of all
us who lovingly celebrate thy
venerable feast, 0 Antony!

Let us honour Antony,
who was an Angel on earth,
the man of God in heaven,

JAN. 17. ST. ANTONY.

327

the ornament of the world, the
flower of good men and of vir-
tues, the glory of Ascetics ; for
being planted in the house of
the Lord, he bloomed in per-
fect justice, and, as a cedar in
the desert, he multiplied the
flocks of Christ's spiritual
sheep, in holiness and justice.

O Antony ! illumined by
the rays of the Spirit ! when
divine love consumed thee,
and made thy soul take her
flight to the summit thou
didst long for of charity — then
didst thou despise flesh and
blood, and become a stranger
to this world, in deep spiritu-
ality and peace united to Him,
with whom thou wast filled.
Then didst thou seek after
true goods, and shine as a
star reflecting light on our
souls.

Thou that didst, by the love
of the Holy Spirit, break the
arrows and darts of the de-
mons, laying open their malice
and their snares to all men ;
thou that didst shine with the
divine teachings, thou wast
made, O Antony ! the bright-
est luminary of Monks, the
grandest glory of the desert,
the ablest physician of the
sick, the Archetype of virtue.

Professing on earth the life
of an Ascetic, O Antony ! thou
didst deaden in the torrent of
thy tears all the blows of thy
passions. Thou art the holy
and venerable ladder, that
raises men to heaven ; and
thou healest of the infirmities
of their passions them that
cry to thee with faith : Re-
joice, most richly gilded Star

tutum florem, asceticorum
gloriam, Antonium honore-
mus ; plantatus enim in
domo Domini effloruit jus-
tissime, et quasi cedrus in
deserto multiplicavit greges
ovium Christi spiritualium
in sanctitate et justitia.

O illuminate Spiritus ra-
diis, quando te divinus
amor combussit, et animam
evolare fecit ad desidera-
bile charitatis fastigium,
tunc despexisti carnem et
sanguinem, et extra mun-
dum factus es, multa ascesi
et tranquillitate ipsi unitus,
quo repletus es ; exinde
qusesisti bona et resplen-
duisti sicut stella irradians
animas nostras, Antoni.

Tu qui dsemonum sagit-
tas et jaculacontrivisti cha-
ritate divini Spiritus, et
malitiam insidiasque ejus
omnibus patefecisti, divinis
coruscans illustrationibus,
Monachorum effectus es ful-
gidissimum luminare, et
eremi primum decus, et
supremus segrotantium me-
dicus, et Archetypus virtu-
tum, Antoni Pater.

Asceticum super terram
professus exercitium, An-
toni, passionum ictus in
torrente lacrymarum omnes
hebetasti ; scala divina et
veneranda, ad coelos ele-
vans, mederis passionum
infirmitatibus eorum qui ad
te cum fide exclamant :
G-aude, Orientis stella de-
auratissima, Monachorum

328

CHRISTMAS.

lampadifer et pastor ; gau-
de, celebrande, tu deserti
alumne, et Ecclesise incon-
cussa columna ; gaude er-
rantium dux illustrissime ;
gaude, o gloriatio nostra, et
orbis terrarum decor fulgi-
dissime.

Columna splendida et vir-
tutibus obfirmata, et nubes
obumbrans effectus es, his
qui in deserto ad ccelum e
terra Deum contemplantur,
propositus ; crucis baculo
passionum runipens mare,
spiritualem autem arduam-
que ad coelum in facilem
mutatus viam, invenisti,
beatissime, incorruptibilem
hsereditatern ; cum incorpo-
reis throno assistens Christi,
quern deprecare animabus
nostris dare magnam mise-
ricordiam.

Vitae derelinquens per-
turbationes, crucem tuam
humeris deferens, totum te
commisisti Domino, et extra
carnem, Pater, et mundum
f actus, Sancti effectus es
confabulator Spiritus, ideo-
que ad zelum populos evigi-
lans, civitates vacuas fecisti,
civitatem in deserto trans-
feree. Antoni Deifer, de-
precare Christum Deum
dare peccatorum remissio-
nem celebrantibus cum
amore tuam sanctam com-
memorationem.

of the East, the lamp-bearer
and shepherd of Monks ! Re-
joice, illustrious Saint, child
of the desert, unshaken pillar
of the Church ! Rejoice, most
glorious Chieftain ! Rejoice,
0 thou our glory, and bright-
est ornament of the whole
earth !

God made thee a bright
pillar solid in virtue, and a
shade-giving cloud, to lead the
way to such as, in the journey
from earth to heaven, con-
template God. By the rod of
the Cross, thou didst break
up the sea of the passions ;
and changing the spiritual and
difficult way to heaven into
one that is easy, thou didst
obtain, 0 most blessed An-
tony ! the incorruptible in-
heritance. Pray to that Christ,
at whose throne thou assistest
with the Angelic spirits, that
he bestow his great mercy on
our souls.

Leaving the distractions of
this life, and carrying thy
cross on thy shoulders, thou
didst commit thy whole self
to the Lord ; and estranging
thyself, 0 Father ! from the
flesh and the world, thou wast
admitted into intimate com-
munication with the Holy
Spirit ; and therefore didst
thou rouse up the people to
fervour, emptying the cities of
their inhabitants, and chang-
ing the desert into a City. O
Antony, that bearest God
within thee ! beseech Christ
our God, that he give remis-
sion of sin to all us who lov-
ingly celebrate thy holy com-
memoration.

JAN. 17. ST. ANTONY. 329

We unite, great Saint ! with the universal Church,
in offering thee the homage of our affectionate vene-
ration, and in praising our Emmanuel for the gifts
he bestowed upon thee. How sublime a life was
thine, and how rich in fruit were thy works ! Verily,
thou art the Father of a great people, and one of the
most powerful auxiliaries of the Church of God. We
beseech thee, therefore, pray for the Monastic Order,
that it may re-appear in all its ancient fervour ; and
pray for each member of the great Family. Fevers
of the body have been often allayed by thy interces-
sion, and we beg for a continuance of this thy com-
passionate aid — but the fevers of our soul are more
dangerous, and we beg thy pity and prayers that we
may be delivered from them. Watch over us, in the
temptations, which the enemy is unceasingly putting
in our way; pray for us, that we may be vigilant in
the combat, prudent in avoiding dangerous occasions,
courageous in the trial, and humble in our victory.
The angel of darkness appeared to thee in a visible
shape ; but he hides himself, and his plots from us ;
here again, we beg thy prayers, that we be not de-
ceived by his craft. May the fear of God's judgments,
and the thought of eternity, penetrate into the depth
of our souls. May Prayer be our refuge in every
necessity, and Penance our safe-guard against sin.
But above all, pray that we may have that, which
thou didst counsel above all — the Love of Jesus —
of that Jesus, who, for love of us, deigned to be born
into this world, that so he might merit for us the
graces wherewith we might triumph — of that Jesus,
who humbled himself even so far as to suffer tempta-
tion, that so he might show as how we were to resist
and fight.

330 CHRISTMAS.

January 18.
SAINT PETER'S CHAIR AT ROME.

The Archangel Gabriel told Mary, in the Annun-
ciation, that the Son, who was to be born of her,
should be a King, and that of his Kingdom there
should be no end. Hence, when the Magi were led
from the East to the Crib of Jesus, they proclaimed it
in Jerusalem, that they came to seek a King. But
this new Empire needed a Capital ; and, whereas the
King, who was to fix his throne in it, was, according
to the eternal decrees, to re-ascend into heaven, it
was necessary that the visible character of his Royalty
should be left here on earth, and this even to the
end of the world. He that should be invested with
this visible character of Christ our King, would be
the Vicar of Christ.

Our Lord Jesus Christ chose Simon for this
sublime dignity of being his Vicar. He changed his
name into one which signifies the Rock, that is
" Peter " ; and in giving him this new name, he tells
us, that the whole Church, throughout the world,
is to rest upon this man, as upon a Rock, which
nothing shall ever move.1 But this promise of our
Lord included another; — namely, that as Peter was
to close his earthly career by the Cross, he would
give him Successors, in whom Peter and his authority
should live to the end of time.

But, again : — there must be some mark or sign of

1 St. Matth. xvi. 18.

jan. 18. st. peter's chair at rome. 831

this succession, to designate to the world who the
Pontiff is, on whom, to the end of the world, the
Church is to be built. There are so many Bishops
in the Church — in which one of them is Peter con-
tinued ? This Prince of the Apostles founded and
governed several Churches ; but only one of these
was watered with his blood, and that one was Rome ;
only one of these is enriched with his Tomb, and
that one is Rome ; — the Bishop of Rome, therefore,
is the Successor of Peter, and, consequently, the
Vicar of Christ. It is of the Bishop of Rome alone
that it is said : Upon thee will I build my Church : 1
and again : To thee will I give the Keys of the
Kingdom of Heaven : 2 and again : I have prayed
for thee, that thy faith fail not — do thou confirm
thy brethren : 3 and again : Feed my lambs ; feed
my sheep. 4

Protestantism saw the force of this argument, and
therefore strove to throw doubts on St. Peter's
having lived and died in Rome. They who laboured
to establish doubts of this kind, rightly hoped, that
if they could gain their point, they would destroy
the authority of the Roman Pontiff, and even the
very notion of a Head of the Church. But History
has refuted this puerile objection, and, now, all
learned Protestants agree with Catholics in admit-
ting a fact, which is one of the most incontestable,
even on the ground of human authority.

It was in order to nullify, by the authority of the
Liturgy, this strange pretension of Protestants,
that Pope Paul the Fourth, in 1558, restored the
ancient Feast of St. Peter's Chair at Rome, and fixed
it on the 18th of January. For many centuries, the
Church had not solemnised the mystery of the
Pontificate of the Prince of the Apostles on any

1 St. Matth. xvi. 18. 3 St. Luke, xxii. 32.

2 Ibid. 19. 4 St. John, xxi. 15, 17.

332 CHEISTMAS.

distinct feast, but had made the single Feast of
February 22nd serve for both the Chair at Antioch
and the Chair at Rome. From that time forward,
the 22nd of February has been kept for the Chair
at Antioch, which was the first occupied by the
Apostle.

To-day, therefore, the Kingship of our Emmanuel
shines forth in all its splendour, and the children of
the Church rejoice in finding themselves to be
Brethren and fellow-citizens, united in the Feast of
their common Capital, the Holy City of Rome.
When they look around them, and find so many sects,
separated from each other, and almost forced into
decay, because they have no centre of union — they
give thanks to the Son of God, for his having pro-
vided for the preservation of his Church and Truth,
by his instituting a visible Head who never dies,
and in whom Peter is for ever continued, just as
Christ himself is continued in Peter. Men are no
longer sheep without a Shepherd ; the word, spoken
at the beginning, is uninterruptedly perpetuated
through all ages ; the primitive mission is never
suspended, and, by the Roman Pontiff, the end of
time is fastened on to the world's commencement.
" What a consolation for the children of God ! " cries
out Bossuet, in his Essay on Universal History,
" and what conviction that they are in possession of
" the truth, when they see, that from Innocent the
" Eleventh, who now (1681) so worthily occupies the
" first See of the Church, we go back, in unbroken
" succession, even to St. Peter, whom Jesus appointed
"Prince of the Apostles; that from St. Peter, we
"come, traversing the line of the Pontiffs who
" ministered under the Law, even to Aaron, yea, even
" to Moses ; thence, even to the Patriarchs, and even
" to the beginning of the world ! "

When Peter enters Rome, therefore, he comes to
realise and explain the destinies of this Queen of

jan. 18. st. peter's chair at rome. 333

Cities ; he comes to promise her an Empire even
greater than the one she possesses. This new
Empire is not to be founded by the sword, as was the
first. Rome has been, hitherto, the proud mistress of
nations ; henceforth, she is to be the Mother of the
world, by charity ; and though all peaceful, yet her
Empire shall last to the end of time. Let us listen
to St. Leo the Great, describing to us, in one of the
finest of his Sermons, and in his own magnificent
style, the humble yet all-eventful entrance of the
Fisherman of Genesareth into the Capital of the
Pagan world.

"The good, and just, and omnipotent God, who
" never refused his mercy to the human race, and
" instructed all men, in general, iu the knowledge of
" himself by his super-abundant benefits — took pity,
" by a more hidden counsel and a deeper love, on the
" voluntary blindness of them that had gone astray,
" and on the wickedness which was growing in its
" proneness to evil ; and sent, therefore, into the
" world his co-equal and co-eternal Word. The which
« Word being made Flesh did so unite the divine to
" the human nature, as that the deep debasement of
" the one was the highest uplifting of the other.

" But, that the effect of this unspeakable gift
" might be diffused throughout the entire world, the
" providence of God had been preparing the Roman
" Empire, which had so far extended its limits, as to
" embrace in itself all the nations of the earth. For
" nothing could be better suited to the divine plan,
" than the confederation of various kingdoms under
" one and the same Empire ; and the preaching of
" the gospel to the whole world would the more
" rapidly be effected by having the several nations
" united under the government of one common City.

" But this City, ignoring the author of this her
" promotion, whilst mistress of almost every nation
" under the sun, was the slave of every nation's

334 CHRISTMAS.

« errors ; and prided himself on having got a grand
" religion, because she had admitted every false
" doctrine. So that, the faster the devil's hold of
" her, the more admirable her deliverance by Christ.

" For, when the twelve Apostles, after receiving,
" by the Holy Ghost, the gift of tongues, divided
" among themselves the world they had to evange-
" lise — the most blessed Peter, the Prince of the
" Apostolic order, was sent to the Capital of the
" Roman Empire, in order that the light of truth,
" which had been revealed for the salvation of all
" nations, might the more effectively flow, from the
" head itself, into the whole body of the world.

" The fact was, that there were, in this City, people
" belonging to every nation, and the rest of the
" world soon learnt whatever was taught at Rome.
" Here, therefore, were to be refuted the opinions of
"philosophy; here, the follies of human wisdom to
" be exploded ; here, the worship of devils to be con-
" victed of blasphemy ; here, the impiety of all the
" sacrifices to be first abolished ; for, it was here that
" an official superstition had systematised into one
" great whole the fragmentary errors of every other
" portion of the earth.

" To this City, therefore, 0 most blessed Apostle,
" Peter, thou fearest not to come ! The companion
" of thy glory, Paul the Apostle, is not with thee, for
" he is busy founding other Churches ; yet, thou
" enterest this forest of wild beasts, and, with greater
" courage than when walking on the waters, thou
" settest foot on this deep stormy sea ! Thou, that
" didst tremble before a servant-girl in the house of
" Caiphas, art fearless now before this Rome, this
" mistress of the world. Is it, that the power of
" Claudius is less than the authority of Pilate ? or
" the cruelty of Nero less than the savageness of the
" Jews ? Not so : but the vehemence of thy love
" made thee heedless of thy risks ; and having come

jan. 18. st. peter's chair at rome. 335

" that thou mightest love, thou forgottest to fear.
" Thou didst imbibe this sentiment of fearless charity,
" on that day, when the profession of thy love for
" thy Master was made perfect by the mystery of his
" thrice put question. And what asks he of thee,
" after thus probing thy heart, but that thou feed the
" the sheep of Him thou lovest, with the food, whereon
" thyself hadst feasted.

"Then, too, there were the miracles thou hadst
" wrought, the gifts of grace thou hadst received, the
" proofs of the great works thou hadst achieved — all
" giving thee fresh courage. Thou hadst taught the
" truth to such of the children of Israel as had em-
" braced the faith ; thou hadst founded the Church
" of Antioch, where first began the glorious Christian
" title ; thou hadst preached the gospel in Pontus,
" Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia ; and
" assured of the success of thy work, and of the many
" years thou hadst yet to live, thou didst bring the
" trophy of the Cross of Christ into the very walls of
" Rome, where the counsels of God had already
" determined that thou shouldst have both the honour
" of power, and the glory of martyrdom."1

The future of the human race, now under the
guidance of the Church, is, therefore, centred in
Rome, and the destinies of that City are interwoven
with those of her undying Pontiff. We, the children of
the Church, though differing in race, and tongue, and
character, yet are we all Romans by holy religion ;
as Romans, we are united, by Peter, to Christ ; and
this our glorious name is the link of that great Fra-
ternity of Catholics throughout the world.

Jesus Christ by Peter, and Peter by his successor
— these are our rulers in the order of spiritual
Government. Every Pastor, whose authority ema-
nates not from the See of Rome, is a stranger to us,

1 Sermon 82, On the Feast of the Apostles, Peter and Paul.

336 CHRISTMAS.

and an intruder. So likewise, in the order of our
Faith, that is, of what we believe, Jesus Christ by
Peter, and Peter by his successor, teach us divine
doctrine, and how to distinguish truth from error.
Every Symbol of Faith, every doctrinal judgment,
every teaching, contrary to the Symbol, and judg-
ments, and teachings of the See of Rome, is of man,
and not of God, and must be rejected, hated, and
anathematised. On the Feast of St. Peter's Chair at
Antioch, (February 22,) we will speak of the Apos-
tolic See, as the one only source of governing power
in the Church ; to-day, we will consider and honour
the Chair at Home as the source and rule of our
Faith. Here, again, let us borrow the sublime
words of St. Leo, and hear him discuss the claims of
Peter to Infallibility of teaching. The Holy Doctor
will teach us how to understand the full force of
those words, which were spoken by our Lord, and
which he intended should be, for all ages, the grand
charter of Faith.

" The Word made Flesh was dwelling among us,
" and he, our Saviour, had spent his whole self for
"the reparation of the human race. There was
"nothing too complicated for his wisdom, nothing
" too difficult for his power. The elements were sub-
ject to him, Spirits ministered to him, Angels
" obeyed him, nor could the mystery of human Re-
" demption be ineffectual, for God, both in his Unity
" and Trinity, was the worker of that mystery. And
"yet, Peter is chosen from the rest of the entire
"world, to be the one, the only one, put over the
" vocation of all nations, and over all the Apostles, and
" over all the Fathers of the Church : that so, whilst
" there were to be many Priests and many Pastors
" in the people of God, Peter should govern, by the
" special power given to him, all those whom Christ
" also rules by his own supreme power. Great and
" wonderful, dearly Beloved, is this fellowship with

jan. 18. st. peter's chair at rome. 337

" Christ's power granted, by divine condescension, to
" this man ! Moreover, if our Lord willed that there
" should be something in common to Peter and the
" rest of the Princes of his Church, it was only on
" this condition — that whatever he gave to them, he
" gave to them through Peter."

" Again : our Lord questions all the Apostles as to
" what men say of him ; and, as far as the telling
"him the opinions of human ignorance goes, they
" all, indifferently, join in making answer. But as
" soon as the sentiment of the disciples themselves is
" called for, he is the first to confess our Lord's divi-
" nity, who is the first in dignity among the Apostles.
" These were his words : Thou art Christ, the Son of
" the living God ;l which when he had said, our Lord
" thus answered him : Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-
" Jona ; because flesh and blood hath not revealed
" it to thee, but my Father, who is in heaven ;2 that
" is, blessed art thou, in that my Father hath taught
" thee, and human opinion hath not misled thee, but
"heavenly inspiration hath instructed thee; not
" flesh and blood, but He, whose Only Begotten Son
" I am, hath shown me to thee. And I say to thee :
" that is, as my Father hath manifested to thee my
" divinity, so do I now declare to thee thine own
" dignity. That thou art Peter (the Rock) : that is,
" though I am the immoveable Rock,3 the Corner-
" Stone,4 who make both one,5 and the Foundation,
" other than which no man can lay ;6 yet, art thou,
" also, a Bock, because thou art solidly based by my
" power, and what I have by right, thou hast by par-
" ticipation. And upon this Rock I will build my
" Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail
" against it :7 that is, I will construct an everlasting

• ! St. Matth. xvi. 16. 5 Eph. ii. 14.

2 Ibid. 17. 8 I. Cor. iii. 11.

3 I. Cor. x. 4. 7 st. Matth. xvi. 18.

4 Eph. ii. 20.

(2) Z

338 CHRISTMAS.

" temple upon thy Strength, and my Church, which
" is to reach to heaven, shall grow up on the firmness
" of this thy faith.

" On the eve of his Passion, which was to test the
" courage of his disciples, our Lord said to Peter :
" Simon, Simon, behold Satan hath desired to have
" you, that he sift you as wheat. But I have prayed
"for thee, that thy faith fail not. And thou, being
" once converted, confirm thy brethren.1 All the
" Apostles were in danger of being tempted to fear,
" and all stood in need of the divine help, for the
" devil desired to sift and crush them all ; and yet,
" it is especially for Peter that our Lord is careful ;
" it is for Peter's faith that he offers an express
"prayer; as though the others would be sure to
" be firm, if the mind of their leader were unflinch-
" ing. So that, the strength of all the rest is in
" Peter, and the assistance of divine grace is dis-
" tributed in this order — Peter is to receive firmness
" through Christ, and he himself then give it to the
" Apostles."2

In another of his Sermons, the same holy Doctor
explains to us, how it is that Peter ever lives anck
ever teaches in the Chair of Pome. After haymg
cited the passage from the sixteenth chapter of St..
Matthew, {verses 16-19,) he says : " This promise, of
" Him who is truth itself, must, therefore, be a per-
" manent fact — and Peter, the unceasing Rock of
" strength, must be the ceaseless ruler of the Church.
" For we have only to .consider the pre-eminence
" that is given him, and the mysterious titles cou-
rt ferred on him, and we at once see the fellowship he
" has with our Lord Jesus Christ : he is called the
"Rock (Peter) ; he is named the Foundation; he is
" appointed keeper of the gates of heaven ; he' is
(l made judge, with such power of loosing and bind-

1 St. Luke, xxii. 31, 32. 2 St. Leo, Sermon 4.

JAN. 18. ST. PETER'S CHAIR AT ROME. 389

ing, that his sentence holds even in heaven. These

commissions, and duties, and responsibilities, where-

'with he was invested, he discharges with fuller per-

' fection and power, now that he is in Him and with

' Him, from whom he received all these honours.

" If, therefore, we do anything that is right, if we

■ decree anything that is right, if, by our daily sup-
' plications, we obtain anything from the divine
' mercy — it is his doing and his merit, whose power

■ lives, and whose authority is supreme, in this his
1 own Chair. All this, dearly Beloved, was obtained
1 by that confession, which, being inspired into the
' Apostle's heart by God the Father, soared above all
' the incertitudes of human opinions, and drew
'upon him, who spoke it, the solidity of a Rock,
' that was to be proof against every attack. For,
' throughout the whole Church, Peter is every day

still proclaiming : Thou art Christ, the Son of the
living God; and every tongue, that confesses the
Lord, is guided by the teaching of this word. This
is the faith which conquers the devil, and sets his
captives free. This is the faith which delivers men
from the world, and takes them to heaven, and the
gates of hell cannot prevail against it. For such is
the solidity wherewith God has strengthened it,
that neither heretical depravity has been able to
corrupt, nor pagan perfidy to crush, it."1
Thus speaks St. Leo. " Let it not, therefore, be
said," observes Bossuet, in his Sermon on the Unity
of the Church, "let it not be said, or thought, that
this ministry of Peter finishes with his life on earth.
That which is given as the support of a Church
which is to last for ever, can never be taken away.
Peter will live in his successors ; Peter will speak,
in his Chair, to the end of time. So speak the
Fathers; so speak the six hundred and thirty

1 St. Leo, Sermon 3.

340 CHRISTMAS.

" Bishops of the Council of Chalcedon." And again :
" Thus, the Roman Church is ever a Virgin-Church ;
" the Faith of Rome is always the Faith of the
" Church ; what has once been believed, will be for
" ever believed ; the same voice is heard all over the
" world ; and Peter, in his successors, is now, as he
" was during his life, the foundation on which the
" Faithful rest. Jesus Christ has said that it shall be
fk so ; and heaven and earth shall pass away rather
" than his word."

Full of gratitude, therefore, to the God of truth,
who has vouchsafed to raise up this Chair in his
Church, we will listen, with submission of iotellect
and heart, to the teaching which emanates from it.
Rejecting with indignation those dangerous theories,
which can only serve to keep up sects within the
Church ; and confessing, with all the past ages, that
the promises made to St. Peter continue in his suc-
cessors ; — we will conclude, aided by the twofold
light of logic and history, that the teachings, addressed
to the Church by the Roman Pontiff, can never con-
tain error, and can contain nothing but the doctrine
of truth. Such has always been the sense of the
Church, and her practice has been the expression of
her spirit. Now, if we acknowledge a permanent
miracle in the uninterrupted succession of the
Bishops of Rome, in spite of all the revolutions of
eighteen centuries — we acknowledge it to be a still
higher prodigy, that, notwithstanding the instability
of man's opinions and judgments, the Chair of Rome
has faithfully preserved the truth without the
slightest admixture of error, whereas the sees of
Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, and Constantinople,
were scarcely able to maintain the true Faith for a
few centuries, and have become, so frequently, those
Chairs of 'pestilence spoken of by the Royal Prophet.1

We are in that season of the ecclesiastical year,

1 Ps. i. 1.

JAN. 18. ST. PETER'S CHAIR AT ROME. 341

which is devoted to honouring the Incarnation and
Birth of the Son of God, and the Maternity of the
Blessed Virgin : it behoves us to remember, especially
on this present Feast, that it is to the See of Peter
that we owe the preservation of these dogmas, which
are the very basis of our holy religion. Rome not
only taught them to us when she sent us the saintly
missioners who evangelised our country ; but, more-
over, when heresy attempted to throw its mists and
clouds over these high Mysteries, it was Rome that
secured the triumph to truth, by her sovereign deci-
sion. At Ephesus — when Nestorius was condemned,
and* the dogma, which he assailed, was solemnly
proclaimed, that is, that the Divine Nature and the
Human Nature, which are in Christ, make but one
Person, and that Mary is, consequently, the true
Mother of God — the two hundred Fathers of that
General Council thus spoke : — " Compelled by the
" Letters of our Most Holy Father Celestine, Bishop
" of the Roman Church, we have proceeded, in spite
" of oar tears, to the condemnation of Nestorius." At
Chalcedon — where the Churchhadto proclaim, against
Eutyches, the distinction of the two Natures in the
Incarnate Word, God and Man — the six hundred and
thirty Fathers, after hearing the Letter of the Roman
Pontiff, gave their decision, and said : " Peter has
" spoken by the mouth of Leo."

Here, then, is the privilege of Rome : to watch, by
Faith, over the eternal interests of mankind, as she
watched previously, for long ages, and by the sword,
over the temporal interests of the then known world.
Let us love and reverence this City, our Mother and
our Guide. To-day we are called upon to celebrate
her praise ; let us do so with filial affection. Let us
listen to some of the ancient Hymns in honour of St.
Peter, and of which some were used in the Liturgy
of certain Churches. First of all, there are the admi-
rable verses of Prudentius, which form the Prayer of

■342

CHRISTMAS.

St. Laurence for christian Rome, and which the Poet
supposes him to be making as he is burning on the
gridiron.

HYMN.

O Christe, nomen uni-

cum,
O splendor, o virtus Patris,
O factor orbis, et poli,
Atque auctor kormn mce-

nium.
Qui sceptra Romae in ver-

tice
Rerum locasti, sanciens
Mundum quirinali togas
Servire et arniis cedere.

Ut discrepantmn gen-
tium
Mores et observantiam,
Linguasque et ingenia et

sacra
Unis domares legibus.

En omne sub regnum

Remi
Mortale concessit genus :
Idem loquuntur dissoni,
Ritus id ipsum sentiunt.
Hoc destinatum, quo ma-

gis
Jus Christiani nominis,
Quodcumqne terrarum ja-

cet
Uno illigaret vinculo.

Da, Christe, Romanis tuis
Sit Christiana nt civitas
Per quam dedisti, ut caete-

ris
Mens una sacrorum foret.

Confoederantur omnia
Hinc inde membra in sym-

bolum ;
Mansuescit orbis subditus,
Mansuescat et summum

caput.

0 Christ ! name above all
names ! — O Brightness, O
Power of the Father ! O
Creator of earth and hea-
ven, and founder of this City's
walls !

'Twas thou didst give su-
premacy to the sceptre of
Rome, and that didst will the
world be subject to the toga
and the armies of the sans of
Rome,

That thus uniting under
one government the nations
which varied in manners and
customs, and tongues, and
character, and religion, thou
mightest subject them to thy
law.

Lo ! now all nations are
tributary to the kingdom of
Remus; all speak the same
language, and all practise the
same rites.

This thou didst design, that
so the Christian Law might
the more easily link the uni-
versal world together in unity
of faith.

Then grant, O Christ ! to
thy Romans, that Rome, the
City whereby thou didst give
sacred unity of soul to others,
may herself become Christian.

It is by her that all man-
kind are united in the fellow-
ship of faith : the world has
yielded and obeys in meek
submission : oh ! may the
proud Capital, too, soften into
faith.

JAN. 18. ST. PETER'S CHAIR AT EOME.

343

Let her learn from other
nations, who, though separat-
ed in all else, are now made
one in grace : let Romulus
become a believer, yea, let
even Numa embrace thy
faith.

The descendants of the
Catos still grovel in the errors
imported from Troy, and ve-
nerate, on their domestic
altars, the banished gods of
Phrygia.

The Senate, (my soul re-
coils to tell these wicked
follies of sober men,) adores
the two-faced Janus, and
Sterculus, and keeps the
feasts of the effeminate Saturn.

O Jesus ! blot out this in-
famy and shame. Send forth
thine Angel Gabriel, and
teach the blind, straying sons
of Julius to acknowledge the
true God.

Well may we hope for this,
for thou hast conferred on
Rome two most sure pledges
of thy love — thou hast esta-
blished here the reign of the
two Princes of the Apostles :

Paul, by whom was wrought
the vocation of the Gentiles ;
and Peter, who, seated on the
first Chair, opens to mankind
the gates of heaven.

Go hence, adulterous Ju-
piter ! rid Rome of thy pre-
sence, thou incestuous god !
and flee from the people of
Christ.

Thou art banished hence by
Paul ; thou art dethroned by
the blood of Peter : the very
deed thou didst inspire Nero
to commit, is thine own de-
feat.

Advertat abjunctas plagas
Coire in unam gratiam :
Fiat fidelis Romulus,
Et ipse jam credat Numa.

Confundit error Troicus
Adhuc Catonum curiam,
Veneratus occultis focis
Phrygum Penates exules.

Janum bifrontem, et Ster-

culum
Colit senatus (horreo
Tot monstra patrum di-

cere)
Et festa Saturni lenis.
Absterge, Christe, hoc

dedecus,
Emitte Gabriel tuum,
Agnoscat ut verum Deum
Errans Iuli caecitas.

Et jam tenemus obsides
Ficlissimos hujus spei :
Hie nempe jam regnant duo
Apostolorum Principes.

Alter vocator Gentium
Alter Cathedram possidens
Primam, recludit creditas
iEternitatis januas.

Discede, adulter Jupiter,
Stupro sororis oblite,
Relinque Romam liberam,
Plebemque jam Christi

fuge.
Te Paulus hinc extermi-

nat,
Te sanguis exturbat Petri :
Tibi, id quod ipse armave-

ras
Factum Neronis officii

344

CHRISTMAS.

I see coming a future Prince,
who shall be the servant of
God ; he shall put an end to
those wicked and polluted
rites, which now are used by
Rome.

He shall shut up the tem-
ples, and bar their ivory
doors ; he shall forbid all en-
trance within their cursed
walls, and fasten their brazen
locks.

In his days, the marble-
altars shall stream no more
with blood, and the idols,
which are now [held as gods,
shall stand mere harmless
lumps of brass.

The Gothic Church of Spain sang this Hymn of
her Mozarabic Breviary, on the Feast of St. Peter's
Chair.

Video futurum principem,
Quandoque qui servus Dei,
Tetris sacrorum sordibus
Servire Romam non sinat.

Qui templa claudat vec-
tibus,
Valvas eburnas obstruat ;
Nefasta damnet limina,
Obdens aenos pessulos.

Tunc pura ab omni san-
guine
Tandem nitebunt marmora :
Stabunt et aera innoxia,
Quae nunc habentur idola.

HYMN.

O Petre, petra Ecclesiae,
Isto beatus nomine,
Quo Petrus a Christo Petra,
Non Petra Christus a Petro.

Tu es Petrus, qui Filii
Confessor es primus Dei :
Hinc primus in membris

manens ;
Ob quod Cephas vocatus es.

Adest dies, quo Romula
In urbe consecratus es ;
In quo Cathedrae nobilis
Scandens thronum attolle-
ris :

Conlata ergo glorias
In te potestas affluens,
Ligata solvat crimina,
Portasque averni obstruat.

O Peter, Rock of the
Church ! Blessed art thou
in this thy name, which Jesus,
the Rock, gave to thee ; for he
was "the Bock" and shared
his name with thee.

Thou art Peter, the first
Confessor of Jesus' being Son
of God. In reward for this,
thou wast made first among the
members of the Church, and
wast therefore called Cephas.

This is the day, whereon
thou wast inaugurated in the
city of Romulus ; in which,
ascending the throne of thy
august Chair, thou wast
exalted.

May the rich glorious power,
that was conferred on thee,
loosen the chains of our sins,
and bind fast the gates of
hell.

jan. 18. st. Peter's chair at rome. 345

Then, as the most loving
Shepherd, govern the sheep
entrusted to thee. Protect us
in thy great vigilance, from
within and without, lest we
be destroyed.

And, loosing, with thy hea-
venly key, the chains of our
sins, lead us poor sinners to
the kingdom, of "which thou
art the Porter chosen by
Christ.

That, when thou shalt have
united together the members
of God's family, now separated
by time and place, and shalt
have presented them before
the King of heaven, there
may be glory, for endless ages,
to the Trinity.

Amen.

The Hymn, we now offer to our readers, is the one
which is fastened to the balustrade of St. Peter's
Confession, in the Vatican Basilica. It is . intended
for the use of pilgrims.

Hinc pastor ut piisimus,
Oves guberna creditas ;
Intus forisque pervigil
Ne subruamur, protege.

Et clave ilia ccelica
Solvens catenas criminum,
Illic reos inducito,
Quo clarus exstas janitor.

Ut cum polorum Principi
Recisa membra junxeris,
Sit Trinitati gloria
Per cuncta semper ssecula.

Amen.

HYMN.

Sainted keeper of the keys
of heaven ! raise us up by thy
prayers, and lead us to the
portals of the heavenly court.

As thou didst wash away
thy sin by penance and many
tears ; so, we beseech thee,
pray that our sins may be re-
moved by reason of our life-
long weeping.

As thou wast loosened from
thy chains by the Angel ; so
do thou set us free, tied as we
are by the fetters of sin.

G Rock immoveable, and
unshaken Pillar, of the
Church ! give us strength and

0 sancte cceli claviger,
Tu nos precando subleva,
Tu redde nobis pervia
Aulae supernse limina.

Ut ipse multis pcenitens
Culpam rigasti lacrymis,
Sic nostra tolli poscimus
Fletu perenni crimina.

Sicut fuisti ab Angelo
Tuis solutus vinculis,
Tu nos iniquis exue
Tot implicatos nexibus.

O firma petra Eccle-
siae,
Columna flecti nescia,

340

CHEISTMAS.

Da robur et constantiam,
Error fidem ne subruat.

Eomam tuo qui sanguine
Olim sacrasti, protege ;
In teque confidentibus
Praesta salutem gentibus.

Tu rem tuere publicam,
Qui te colunt, fidelium,
Ne laesa sit contagiis,
Ne scissa sit discordiis.

Quos hostis antiquus dolos
Instruxit in nos, destrue ;
Truces et iras comprime,
Ne clade nostra sseviat.

Contra furentis impetus,
In morte vires suffice,
Ut et supremo vincere
Possimus in certamine.

Amen.

courage, that no error may
ever subvert our faith.

Protect Rome, the city thou
didst, of old, consecrate by
thy blood ; and grant thine
assistance to all nations that
confide in thee.

Protect the countries of thy
devout clients ; shield them
against contagion, and suffer
not dissensions to sow discord
among them.

Destroy the plots laid for
us by the old enemy ; and re-
strain his ruthless wrath, lest
he madly exult in our destruc-
tion.

Supply us with strength,
when we are dying, against
his fierce attacks, that so we
may conquer in the last com-
bat.

Amen.

And lastly, let us salute the Prince of the Apostles
with these solemn words, which are used by the
Church of Rome, in to-day's Office.

I£. Tu es pastor ovium,
princeps Apostolorum : tibi
tradidit Deus omnia regna
mundi ; * Et ideo tibi tra-
ditae sunt claves regni cce-
lorum. y. Quodcumque li-
gaveris super terram, erit
ligatum et in ccelis ; et quod-
cumque solveris super ter-
ram, erit solutum et in coe-
lis. * Et ideo tibi traditse
sunt claves resrni coelorum.

_ $". Exaltent eum in eccle-
sia plebis.

I£. Thou art the Shepherd
of the sheep, 0 Prince of the
Apostles ! To thee hath God
given all the kingdoms of the
world ; * Therefore, also, have
the keys of the kingdom of
heaven been delivered to thee.
$". Whatsoever thou shalt bind
on earth, shall be bound also
in heaven ; and whatsoever
thou shalt loose on earth, shall
be loosed also in heaven. *
Therefore, also, have the keys
of the kingdom of heaven been
delivered to thee.

$". Let them exalt him in
the church of the people.

JAN. 18. ST. PETEE'S CHAIE AT ROME. 347

1$. And let them praise him
in the chair of the ancients.

I£. Et in cathedra senio-
rum laudent eum.

LET US PEAY.

0 God, who by delivering
to the blessed Apostle Peter
the keys of the kingdom of
heaven, didst give him the
power of binding and loosing :
grant, that by his intercession,
we may be freed from the
bonds of our sins. Who livest,

OEEMUS.

Deus qui beato Petro
Apostolo tuo, collatis clavi-
bus regni coelestis, ligandi
atque solvendi pontificium
tradidisti : concede ut in-
tercessions ejus auxilio, a
peccatorum nostrorum nexi-
bus liberemur. Qui vivis.

And, that we may conform to the tradition of the
same Church of Rome, which never celebrates a Feast
of St. Peter without making a commemoration of St.
Paul, who, that he might add to the glory of her who
is the Mother and Mistress of all Churches, came
within her walls and paid her the triple tribute of
his Apostolate, his teaching, and his martyrdom — let
us say this Antiphon and Collect in honour of the
Apostle of the Gentiles.

Ant. Holy Apostle Paul !
preacher of the truth, and
Doctor of the Gentiles ! inter-
cede for us to the God, that
chose thee.

y. Thou art a vessel of elec-
tion, O holy Apostle Paul !

1$. The preacher of truth in
the whole world.

LET US PKAY.

O God, who by the preach-
ing of blessed Paul the Apostle,
didst instruct the multitude of
the Gentiles : grant, we be-
seech thee, that whilst we cele-
brate his memory, we may
find the effects of his prayers.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Ant. Sancte Paule Apos-
tole, prsedicator veritatis, et
doctor gentium, intercede
pro nobis ad Deum, qui te
elegit.

y. Tu es vas electionis,
sancte Paule Apostole.

I£. Praedicator veritatis in
universo mundo.

OEEMUS.

Deus qui multitudinem
gentium beati Pauli Apos-
toli prsedicatione docuisti :
da nobis qusesumus : ut
cujus commemorationem co-
limus, ejus apud te patro-
cinia sentiamus. Per Chris-
tum Dominum nostrum.
Amen.

348 CHRISTMAS.

We are founded on Christ in our faith and our
hopes, because, 0 glorious Prince of the Apostles !
we are founded on thee, who art the Rock he has set.
We are the sheep of the flock of Jesus, because we
obey thee as our shepherd. By following thee, O
Peter ! we are made sure of our being admitted into
the kingdom of heaven, because our Lord gave the
Keys of his kingdom to thee. Having the happiness
of being thy members, we may also count ourselves
as the members of Jesus Christ himself; for He, the
invisible Head of the Church, recognises none as his
members, save those that are members of the visible
Head whom he appointed. So, too, when we adhere
to the faith of the Roman Pontiff, and obey his orders
— we are professing thy faith, O Peter, we are follow-
ing thy commands ; for if Christ teaches and governs
by thee, thou teachest and governest by the Roman
Pontiff.

Eternal thanks, then, to our Emmanuel for that he
has not left us orphans ; but, before returning to
heaven, vouchsafed to provide us with a Father and
a Shepherd, even to the end of time ! On the even-
ing before his Passion, keeping up his love for us
even to the end, he left us his sacred Body and Blood
for our food. After his glorious Resurrection, and a
few hours before ascending to the right hand of his
Father, he called his Apostles around him, and con-
stituted his Church, (his Fold,) and said to Peter:
Feed my Lambs, Feed my Sheep} Thus, clear Jesus !
didst thou secure perpetuity to thy Church; thou
gavest her Unity, for that alone could preserve her,
and defend her from both external and internal ene-
mies. Glory be to thee, 0 Divine Architect ! for that
thou didst build the House of thy Church on the
Rock, which waslnever to be shaken, that is, on Peter !
Winds and storms and waves have beat upon that
House ; but, it hath stood, for it was built on a Rock.2

1 St. John, xxi. 15, 17. s St. Matth. vii. 25.

JAN. 18. ST. PETER'S CHAIR AT ROME. 349

0 Rome ! on this day, when the whole Church pro-
claims thy glory, by blessing God for having built her
on thy Rock — receive the renewal of our promise to
love thee, and be faithful to thee. Thou shalt ever
be our Mother and our Mistress, our guide and our
hope. Thy faith shall ever be ours ; for he that is
not with thee, is not with Jesus Christ. In thee, all
men are Brethren. Thou art not a foreign City to
us ; nor is thy Pontiff a foreign Sovereign to us, for
he is our Father. It is by thee that we live the
spiritual life, the life of both heart and intellect;
and thou it is that preparest us to dwell, one day, in
that other City of which thou art the image — the
City of Heaven, into which men enter by thee.

Bless, 0 Prince of the Apostles ! the flock com-
mitted to thy care ; but forget not them that have
unfortunately left the fold. There are whole nations,
whom thou didst bring up and civilize by the hands
of thy Successors, who now have alienated themselves
from thee, and are living on their wretched existence,
the more miserable, because they feel not the un-
happiness of being separated from the Shepherd.
They are victims either of schism, or of heresy.
Without Christ, made visible in his Vicar, Chris-
tianity becomes sterile, and, at last, extinct. Those
indiscreet doctrines, which tend to throw a doubt on
the richness of the prerogatives bestowed by Christ
on thee, that is, on thee who wast to hold his place to
the end of time — such doctrines produce a cold heart
in those who profess them, and dispose them, but
too frequently, to give to Caesar that spiritual and re-
ligious obedience, which they owe, yet refuse, to Peter.
0 supreme Pastor ! do thou cure all these evils. Hasten
the return of the nations that have separated them-
selves from thee. Let the heresy of the sixteenth
century soon become a thing of the past. Open
thine arms, and again press to thy heart the country
once so dear to thee — England — our fatherland —

350 CHRISTMAS.

and pray for her, that she may regain her right
to be called the beautiful " Island of Saints." Stir
up the people of our northern Europe, to redouble
their ardour in the search of the Faith of their
fathers; and let them learn the great truth, that
a religion out of union with thy Chair at Home,
is powerless to give salvation to its members. De-
stroy the Russian colossus of schism, heresy, and
despotism, which tyrannises over the consciences of
so many millions of our dear fellow-creatures, and
ambitions to drag the rest of the world into apostacy
from Jesus, by making them the slaves of her Czar.
Reclaim the East to her ancient fidelity, and let her
Patriarchal Sees regain their dignity, by submission
to the one Apostolic See.

And we, O Blessed Apostle ! who, by the mercy of
God, and the watchfulness of thy paternal love, are
still faithful, oh ! preserve us in the faith of Rome, and
submission to thy Successor. Instruct us in the
mysteries which have been confided to thy teaching.
What the Father revealed to thee, do thou reveal to
us : show us our Jesus, thy beloved Master ; lead
us to his Crib ; and let us, after thine own example,
be blessed by not being scandalised at his deep
humiliations, and by ever saying thy beautiful con-
fession : Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God.1

1 St. Matth. xvi. 16.

JAN. 19. ST. CANUTE, KING AND MARTYR. 351

January 19.
SAINT CANUTE, KING AND MARTYR

The Magi Kings, as we have already observed, have
been followed to the Crib of Jesus by saintly Chris-
tian Monarchs ; and it was just, that these should be
represented on the Church's Calendar, during the
season which is consecrated to the Mystery of his
Birth. The eleventh century is one of the most
glorious of the Christian era, and gave, both to the
Church and the various States of Europe, a great
number of saintly Kings. Among them, Canute the
Fourth, of Denmark, stands pre-eminent by reason
of the aureol of his martyrdom. He had every
quality which forms a Christian Prince : he was a
zealous propagator of the faith of Christ, he was a
brave warrior, he was pious, and he was charitable
to the poor. His zeal for the Church, (and, in those
days, her rights were counted as the rights of the
people,) was made the pretext for putting him to
death : he died, in the midst of a sedition, as a victim
sacrificed for his people's sake. His offering to the
new-born King was that of his blood ; and in ex-
change for the perishable crown he lost, he received
that which the Church gives to her Martyrs, and
which can never be taken away. The history of
Denmark, in the eleventh century, is scarce known
by the rest of the world ; but the glory of that coun-
try's having had one of her kings a Martyr, is known
throughout the whole Church, and the Church in-
habits the whole earth. This power, possessed by

352

CHRISTMAS.

the Spouse of Christ, of conferring honour on the
name and actions of the servants and friends of God,
is one of the grandest spectacles out of heaven ; for
when she holds up a name as worthy of honour, that
name becomes immortalised, whether he who bore it
were a powerful king, or the poorest peasant.

We find the following life of this holy King given
in the Lessons of the Breviary.

Canutus Quartus, Sueno-
nis Esthritii Danorum regis
filius, fide, pietate, et mo-
rum honestate conspicuus,
eximise sanctitatis a teneris
annis specimen dedit. Pater-
nuin sceptrum summa om-
nium acclamatione adeptus,
religioni promovendse se-
dulo incumbere, Ecclesias
redditihus augere, et pre-
tiosa supellectili ornare coe-
pit. Turn zelo propagandse
fidei succensus, barbara
regna justo certamine ag-
gressus, devictas subditas-
que nationes christianse
legi subjugavit. Victoriis
autera plurimis gloriosus,
et divitiis auctus, regale
diadema ad Christi cruci-
fixi pedes abjecit, se et reg-
num illi subjiciens, qui Rex
regum est, et Dominus do-
minatium. Corpus suum
jejuniis, ciliciis, et flagellis
castigavit. In oratione et
coutemplatione assiduus,
erga pauperes profusus,
erga omnes beneficus sem-
per fuit, nee unquam a jus-
titiae, divinseque legis semita
denexit.

Canute the Fourth, son of
Swein Estrithius, King of Den-
mark, was conspicuous for Ms
faith, piety, and purity of life,
and even from his infancy,
gave proof of exceeding holi-
ness. Having been elected,
by the votes of the people, to
the throne held by his father,
he at once began zealously to
promote religion, to add to the
revenues of the Churches, and
to provide the same with
costly fittings and furniture.
Being also inflamed with zeal
for the propagation of the
faith, he refused not to enter
into just war with barbarous
nations, which, when he had
conquered and subdued, he
subjected to the law of Christ.
Having obtained several glo-
rious victories, and increased
the riches of his treasury, he
laid his regal diadem at the
feet of a crucifix, offering him-
self and his kingdom to Him,
who is the King of kings, and
Lord of lords. He chastised
his body by fasting, hair-shirts,
and disciplines. He was assi-
duous in prayer and contem-
plation, liberal in his alms to
the poor, and ever kind to all,
never deviating from the path
of justice and the divine com-
mandments.

JAN 19. ST. CANUTE, KING AND MAETYE. 353

By these and other such
virtues, the holy King made
rapid strides to the summit of
perfection. Now it happened,
that William, Duke of Nor-
mandy, invaded the kingdom
of England with a formidable
army, and the English sought
assistance from the Danes.
The King resolved to grant
them his aid, and entrusted
the expedition to his brother
Olaus. But he, from the de-
sire he had of getting posses-
sion of the throne, turned his
forces against the King, and
stirred up the soldiers and the
people to rebellion. Neither
were there wanting motives
for this rebellion; for the King
had issued laws commanding
the payment of ecclesiastical
tithes, the observance of the
commandments of God and
his Church, and the infliction
of penalties on defaulters ; all
which were made handle of by
perverse and wicked malcon-
tents, who began by spreading
murmuring, exciting the peo-
ple to revolt, and, at last, to
plot the death of the saintly
King.

Foreknowing what was to
happen, the King saw that he
would soon be put to death
for justice sake. Having fore-
told it, he set out to Odense,
where entering into the Church
of St. Alban, the Martyr, as
the place of combat, he forti-
fied himself with the Sacra-
ments, and commended this
his last struggle to our Lord.
He had not long been there,
when a band of conspirators
arrived. They endeavoured

(2)

His aliisque virtutibus
imbutus, ad supremum per-
fectionis apicem sanctus
Rex properabat. Accidit au-
tem, ut Angliae regnum a
Wilhelmo Normannorum
duce formidabili exercitu
invaderetur : Anglis vero
Danorum opem imploranti-
bus, cum succurrere rex de-
crevisset, belli expeditionem
Olao fratri commisit, qui
regnandi cupiditate illectus,
arma vertit in regis perni-
ciem, militibus et populo
contra ilium concitatis.
Nee defuerunt rebellioni
fomenta ; cum enim rex
editis legibus decimas Eccle-
siis solvi, Dei et Ecclesiae
prsecepta servari, transgres-
sores puniri sanxisset ; ple-
rique perversi ac scelerati
homines exacerbati, pri-
mum quidem tumultuari,
turn plebem commovere,
ac tandem sanctissimo regi
necem moliri cceperunt.

Sciens igitur rex futuro-
rum prsescius, mortem sibi
propter justitiam immi-
nere ; ea praenuntiata, ad
Ecclesiam sancti Albani
martyris Othonise tanquam
ad locum certaminis pro-
fectus est, et Sacramentis
munitus, agonem suum Do-
mino commendabat. Mox
ibi adveniens conjuratorum
multitudo, Ecclesise ignem
admovere, fores confrin-
gere, et in earn irrumpere
2 A

354

CHRISTMAS.

tentarunt. Quod cum per-
ficere non possent, ad fe-
nestras accedentes, saxa et
sagittas in sanctum Regem,
flexis genibus pro inimicis
orantem, magno impetu
jaculari non cessarunt, do-
nee lapidum et telorum ic-
tibus, ac tandem lancea
confossus, glorioso marty-
rio ante altare, extensis
brachiis procumbens coro-
natus est, sedente in Apos-
tolico throno Gregorio Sep-
timo. Multis postea mira-
culis Martyrem suum illus-
travit Deus : nam gravi
penuria et diversis calami
tatibus oppressa Dania, pa-
trati sacrilegii pcenas luit.
Plures etiam variis languo-
ribus afflicti, ad ejus tumu-
lum remedium et incolu-
mitatem consecuti sunt ;
cumque Regina sacrum
ejus corpus noctu clam
surripere, et alio transferre
conaretur, emisso cselitus
ingenti splendore perter-
rita, a proposito cessavit.

to set fire to the Church, to
burst open the doors, and to
force an entrance. But failing
in this, they scaled the win-
dows, and with great violence
threw a shower of stones and
arrows upon the holy King,
who was on his knees, praying
for his enemies. Wounded
by the stones and arrows, and,
at last, pierced through with
a spear, he was crowned with
a glorious martyrdom, and
fell before the altar, with his
arms stretched out. Gregory
the Seventh was the reigning
Pontiff. God showed by many
miracles how glorious was his
Martyr ; and Denmark was
afflicted with a great famine
and sundry calamities, in pu-
nishment of the sacrilegious
murder which had been per-
petrated. Many persons, who
were afflicted with various
maladies, found aid and health
by praying at the tomb of the
Martyr. On one occasion,
when the Queen endeavoured,
during the night, to take up
his body secretly, and carry it
to another place, she was de-
terred from her design by
being struck with fear at the
sight of a most brilliant light,
which came down from hea-
ven.

0 holy King ! the Sun of Justice had risen upon
thy country, and all thy ambition was that thy people
might enjoy the fulness of its light and warmth.
Like the Magi of the East, thou didst lay thy crown
at the feet of the Emmanuel, and, at length, didst
offer thy very life in his service and in that of his
Church. But thy people were not worthy of thee ;

JAN. 19. ST. CANUTE, KING AND MARTYR. 355

they shed thy blood, as the ungrateful Israel will
shed the Blood of the Just One, who is now born
unto us, and whose sweet Infancy we are now cele-
brating. Thou didst offer thy martyrdom for the
sins of thy people; offer it, now also, for them, that
they may recover the true faith they have so long
lost. Pray for the Rulers of Christian lands, that
they may be faithful to their duties, zealous for jus-
tice, and may have respect for the liberty of the
Church. Ask for us of the Divine Infant a devoted-
ness in his cause like that which glowed in thy
breast ; and since we have not a crown to lay at his
feet, pray for us that we may be generous enough to
give our whole heart.

356 CHRISTMAS.

January 20.
SAINT FABIAN, POPE AND MARTYR,

AND

SAINT SEBASTIAN, MARTYR.

Two great Martyrs divide between them the honours
of this twentieth day of January : — one, a Pontiff of
the Church of Rome ; the other, a member of that
Mother- Church. Fabian received the crown of mar-
tyrdom, in the year 250, under the persecution of
Decius ; the persecution of Dioclesian crowned Sebas-
tian, in the year 288. We will consider the merits
of these two champions of Christ separately.

SAINT FABIAN.

St. Fabian, like St. Clement and St. Antheros, two
of his predecessors, was extremely zealous in seeing
that the Acts of the Martyrs were carefully drawn
up. This zeal was no doubt exercised by the clergy
in the case of our holy Pontiff himself, and his suffer-
ings and martyrdom were carefully registered ; but
all these interesting particulars have been lost, in
common with an immense number of other precious
Acts, which were condemned to the flames, by the
Imperial Edicts, during the persecution under Dio-
clesian. Nothing is now known of the life of St.
Fabian, save a few of his actions as Pope ; but we
may have some idea of his virtues, by the praise given
him by St. Cyprian, who, in a letter written to St.

JAN. 20. SS. FABIAN AND SEBASTIAN. 357

Cornelius, the immediate successor of St. Fabian,
calls him an incomparable man. The Bishop of
Carthage extols the purity and holiness of life of the
holy Pontiff, who so peaceably governed the Church
amidst all the storms which then assailed her. There
is an interesting circumstance related of him by Euse-
bius. After the death of St. Antheros, the people
and clergy of Rome assembled together, for the elec-
tion of the new Pontiff. Heaven marked out the
successor of St. Peter : a dove was seen to rest on the
venerable head of Fabian, and he was unanimously
chosen. This reminds us of the event in our Lord's
Life, which we celebrated a few days back, when
standing in the river Jordan, the Dove came down
from heaven, and showed him to the people as the
Son of God. Fabian was the depository of the power
of regeneration, which Jesus, by his Baptism, gave to
the element of water ; he zealously propagated the
Faith of his Divine Master, and, among the Bishops
he consecrated for divers places, one or more were
sent by him into these western parts of Europe.

We give, at once, the short account of the Acts of
St. Fabian, as recorded in the Liturgy.

Fabian, a Roman by birth, FabianusRomanus a Max-
governed the Church from the imino usque ad Decium re-
reign of Maximin to that of gens Ecclesiam, septem Dia-
Decius. He divided the City conis regiones divisit, qui
into seven parts, which he con- pauperum curam haberent.
signed to as many Deacons, Totidem Subdiaconos cre-
and to them he gave the charge avit, qui res gestas Mar-
of looking after the poor. He tyrum a septem Notariis
created also a like n amber of scriptas colligerent. Idem
Subdeacons, who were to col- statuit, ut quotannis Feria
lect the Acts of the Martyrs, quinta in Ccena Domini, ve-
written by seven Notaries. It tere combusto, Chrisma re-
was he decreed, that, every novaretur. Denique deci-
year, on the fifth Feria, our motertio kalendas Februarii
Lord's Supper, the Chrism in persecutione Decii mar-
should be renewed, and the tyrio coronatus, in cceme-
old should be burnt. At terio Callisti via Appia se-

358 CHEISTMAS.

pelitur, cum sedisset annos length, on the thirteenth of
quindecim, dies quatuor. the Calends of February (Ja-
Hic fecit Ordinationes quin- nuary 20), he was crowned
que mense Decembri, quibus with martyrdom, in the perse-
creavit Presbyteros viginti cution of Decius, and was
duos, Diaconos septem, Epis- buried in the cemetery of Cal-
copos per diversa loca un- lixtus, on the Appian Way,
decim. after reigning fifteen years

and four days. He held five
ordinations, in the month of
December, in which ordina-
tions, he made two and twenty
Priests, seven Deacons, and
eleven Bishops for divers
places.

Thus didst thou live out the long tempestuous days
of thy Pontificate, 0 Fabian ! But thou hadst the
presentiment of the peaceful future reserved by God
for his Church, and thou didst zealously labour to
hand down to the coming generations the great ex-
amples of the Martyrs. The flames have robbed us
of a great portion of the treasures thou preparedst
for us, and have deprived us of knowing the Fabian
who so loved the Martyrs, and died one himself. But
of thee, Blessed Pontiff ! we know enough to make
us thank God for having set thee over his Church in
those hard times, and keep this day as a feast in
celebration of thy glorious triumph. The dove, which
marked thee out as the one chosen by heaven, showed
thee to men as the visible Christ on earth ; it told
thee that thou wert destined for heavy responsibilities
and martyrdom ; it was a warning to the Church, that
she should recognise and hear thee as her guide and
teacher. Honoured thus with a resemblance to Jesus
in the mystery of his Epiphany, pray to him for us,
that he mercifully manifest himself to our mind and
heart. Obtain of him, for us, that docility to his
grace, that loving submissiveness to his every will, that
detachment from all created things, which were the
support of thy life, during those fifteen years of thy

JAN. 20. SS. FABIAN AND SEBASTIAN. 359

ever threatened and anxious pontificate. When the
angry persecution at length broke on thee, it found
thee prepared, and martyrdom carried thee to the
bosom of that God, who had already welcomed so
many of thy martyred children. We, too, are looking
for that last wave, which is to break over us, and
carry us from the shore of this present life to eternity —
oh ! pray for us, that it may find us ready ! If the
love of the Divine Babe, our Jesus, be within us ; if,
like thee, we imitate the simplicity of the dove ; — we
shall not be lost ! Here are our hearts — we wish for
nothing but God — help us by thy prayers.

SAINT SEBASTIAN.

At the head of her list of heroes, after the two
glorious Apostles Peter and Paul, who form her chief
glory — Rome puts her two most valiant Martyrs,
Laurence and Sebastian, and her two most illustrious
Virgins, Cecily and Agnes. Of these four, two are
given us by the Calendar of Christmastide as atten-
dants in the court of the Infant Jesus at Bethlehem.
Laurence and Cecily will come to us further on in
our year, when other Mysteries will be filling our
hearts and the Liturgy : but Christmas calls forth
Sebastian and Agnes. To-day, it is the brave soldier
of the pretorian band, Sebastian, who stands by the
Crib of our Emmanuel ; to-morrow, we shall see
Agnes, gentle as a lamb, yet fearless as a lion, in-
viting us to love the sweet Babe, whom she chose for
her one only Spouse.

The chivalrous spirit of Sebastian reminds us 01
the great Archdeacon ; both of them, one in the sanc-
tuary, and the other in the world, defied the tortures
of death. Burnt on one side, Laurence bids the tyrant
roast the other ; Sebastian, pierced with his arrows,
waits till the gaping wounds are closed, and then runs

360 CHRISTMAS.

to his persecutor Dioclesian, asking for a second mar-
tyrdom. But, we must forget Laurence to-day, to
think of Sebastian.

We must picture to ourselves a young soldier, who
tears himself away from all the ties of his home at
Milan, because the persecution there was too tame,
whereas, at Borne, it was raging in wildest fierceness.
He trembles with anxiety at the thought, that, per-
haps, some of the Christians, in the Capital, may be
losing courage. He has been told that, at times,
some of the Emperor's soldiers, who were soldiers also
of Christ, have gained admission into the prisons,
and have roused up the sinking courage of the con-
fessors. He is resolved to go on the like mission,
and, who knows ? he may come within reach of a
palm himself. He reaches Rome, he is admitted into
the prisons, and encourages to martyrdom such as
had been shaken by the tears of those who were dear
to them. Some of the gaolers, converted by witness-
ing his faith and his miracles, became Martyrs them-
selves ; and one of the Roman Magistrates asks -to be
instructed in a religion which can produce such men
as this Sebastian. He has won the esteem of the
Emperors Dioclesian and Maximian-Hercules for his
fidelity and courage as a soldier ; they have loaded
him with favours ; and this gives him an influence in
Rome, which he so zealously tarns to the advantage
of the Christian religion, that the holy Pope Caius
calls him the Defender of the Church.

After sending innumerable martyrs to heaven,
Sebastian, at length, wins the crown he had so
ardently ambitioned. He incurs the displeasure of
Dioclesian by confessing himself a Christian; the
heavenly King, for whose sake alone he had put on
the helmet and soldier's cloak, was to him above all
Emperors and Princes. He is handed over to the arch-
ers of Mauritania,, who strip him, bind him, and wound
him, from head to foot, with their arrows. They left

JAN. 20. SS. FABIAN AND SEBASTIAN. 3G1

him for dead, but a pious woman, named Irene, took
care of him, and his wounds were healed. Sebastian
again approaches the Emperor, who orders him to
be beaten to death in the circus, near the Imperial
Palace.

Such are the Soldiers of our new-born King ! but,
oh ! how richly does he repay them for their service S
Rome, the Capital of his Church, is founded on seven
Basilicas, as the ancient City was on its seven hills ;
and the name and tomb of Sebastian grace one of these
seven sanctuaries. The Basilica of Sebastian stands
in a sort of solitude, on the Appian Way, outside the
walls of the Eternal City ; it is enriched with the re-
lics of the holy Pope and Martyr Fabian ; but Sebas-
tian, the valiant leader of the pretorian guard, is the
Patron, and, as it were, the Prince of the holy temple.
It was here that he wished to be buried, as a faithful
guardian, near the well wherein the bodies of the
holy Apostles had been concealed, lest they should
be desecrated by the persecutors.

In return for the zeal of St. Sebastian for the souls
of his christian brethren, whom he preserved from
the contagion of paganism, God has made him the
Protector of the Faithful against pestilence. A sig-
nal proof of this power granted to the holy Martyr,
was given at Pome, in the year 680, under the Pon-
tificate of St. Agatho.

Let us now listen to our holy Mother the Church,
who thus speaks of her glorious Martyr, in the Office
of his Feast.

Sebastian, whose Father Sebastianus ex patre Nar-
was of Narbonne, and his bonensi,matreMediolanensi
Mother a lady of Milan, was natus, ob generis nobilita-
beloved by Dioclesian on tern et virtutem Diocletiano
account of his noble birth charus fuit. Dux primae
and his virtues. Being a cohortis, christianos, quo-
captain of the pretorian co- rum fidem clam colebat,
hort, he was able to give opera et facultatibus adju-
assistance and alms to the vabat : et qui ex eis tormen-

362

CHKISTMAS.

torum vim reformidare
videbantur, cohortatione
sic confirmabat, ut pro
Jesu Christo multi se ultro
tortoribus offerrent. Inillis
fuere Marcus et Marcel-
lianus fratres, qui Romse
in cnstodia erant apud M-
costratum : cujus uxor Zoe
vocem, quam amiserat, Se-
bastiani oratione recupera-
vit. Quibus Diocletiano
delatis, Sebastianum accer-
sit, et vehementius objurga-
tum, omnibus artificiis a
Christi fide conaturavertere.
Sed cum nihil nee pollicen-
do, nee terrendo proficeret,
ad palum alligatum sagittis
configi jubet.

Quern omnium opinione
mortuum, noctu sancta mu-
lier Irene sepeliendi gratia
jussit auferri : sed vivum
repertum, domi suse cura-
vit. Itaque paulo post con-
firmata valetudine, Diocle-
tiano obviam f actus, ejus
impietatem liberius accusa-
vit. Cujus aspectu cum ille
primum obstupuisset, quod
mortuum crederet, rei no-
vitate, et acri Sebastiani re-
prehensione excandescens,
eum tamdiu virgis csedi im-
peravit, donee animam Deo

christians, whose faith he
himself followed, though pri-
vately. When he per-
ceived any of them trem-
bling at the great tortures of
the persecutors, he made it
his duty to encourage them;
and so well did he do it,
that many would go, and,
for the sake of Jesus Christ,
would freely offer them-
selves to the executioners.
Of this number were the two
brothers Mark and Marcel-
lian, who were in custody
under Nicostratus, whose
wife, named Zoe, had re-
covered her speech by the
prayer made for her by Se-
bastian. Dioclesian, being
told of these things, sum-
moned Sebastian before him ;
and after upbraiding him,
in very strong words, tried
every means to induce him
to turn from the faith of
Christ. But, finding that
neither promises nor threats
availed, he ordered him to
be tied to a stake, and to be
shot to death with arrows.

Every one thought he was
dead ; and a pious woman
named Irene, gave orders that
his body should be taken away,
during the night, and buried ;
but she, finding him to be still
alive, had him taken to her
house, where she took care of
him. Not long after, having
quite recovered, he went be-
fore Dioclesian, and boldly
chided him for his wickedness.
At first, the Emperor was
struck dumb with astonish-
ment at the sight, for he had
been told that Sebastian was

JAN. 20. SS. FABIAN AND SEBASTIAN. 363

dead ; but, at length, the
strange event and the Martyr's
sharp rebuke so inflamed him
with rage, that he ordered him
to be scourged to death with
rods. His body was thrown
into a sewer, but Lucina was
instructed by Sebastian, in
her sleep, both as to where his
body was, and where he wish-
ed to be buried. Accordingly,
she buried him at the Cata-
combs, where, afterwards, a
celebrated Church was built,
called Saint Sebastian's.

redderet. Ejus corpus in
cloacam dejectum, Lucina
a Sebastiano in somnis ad-
monita, ubi esset, et quo
loco humari vellet, ad Cata-
cumbas sepelivit, ubi sancti
Sebastiani nomine Celebris
Ecclesia est sedificata.

The ancient Liturgical books contain a great many
pieces in honour of St. Sebastian. We limit our-
selves to the following, which belongs to the Am-
brosian Breviary.

HYMN.

Let us all, in humble sup-
plication, and with becoming
sweetness of voice, celebrate
in song the feast-day of our
dear fellow-citizen, Sebastian
the Martyr.

This noble champion of
Christ, fired with the love of
battle, leaves his country,
where danger too tamely
threatened him, and hastens
to the hot battle-field at Rome.

His soul enlightened with
the sublime dogmas of faith,
and full of heavenly courage,
he condemns the worship of
idols, and hopes that a mar-
tyr's bright trophy may be
his.

He is bound with many
thongs to the huge trunk of a
tree, and on his naked breast
receives the quivering arrows.

Sebastiani Martyris,
Concivis almi, supplices
Diem sacratam vocibus
Canamus omnes debitis.

Athleta Christi nobilis,
Ardens amore prselii,
Linquit tepentem patriam,
Pugnamque Romas festinat.

Hie cultor alti dogmatis,
Virtute plenus ccelica,
Idola damnans, inclyti
Tropsea sperat martyris.

Loris revinctus plurimis ;
Qua stipes ingens tollitur,
Vibrata tela suscipit
Umbone nudo pectoris.

364

CHRISTMAS.

Fit silva corpus f errea ;
Sed sere mens constantior
Ut molle ferrum despicit :
Ferrum precatur, saeviat.

Manantis unda sanguinis
Exsangue corpus nunciat ;
Sed casta nocte fcemina
Plagas tumentes recreat.

C celeste robur militi
Adacta prsebent vulnera ;
Kursum tyrannum provo-

cans,
Exspirat inter vulnera.

Nunc cceli in arce consi-
dens,
Bellator o fortissime,
Luem fugando, civium
Tuere cleniens corpora.

Patri, simulque Filio,
Tibique, Sancte Spiritus,
Sicut fuit, sit jugiter
Sseclum per omne gloria.
Amen.

There stood his body like a
forest of iron darts, while his
soul, more unflinching than
brass, despises the weapons as
harmless things, and bids them
do their worst.

Streams of blood flow from
the wounds, leaving but a
lifeless body ; but a holy
woman comes by night, and
heals the gaping wounds.

The cruel goading gives our
soldier heavenly strength ;
again he urges the tyrant to
his work, and, this time, dies
under the wounding lash.

And now, most brave of
warriors ! now that thou art
throned in the high heavens,
drive pestilence away, and
mercifully protect the bodily
health of thy fellow-citizens
on earth.

To the Father, and to the
Son, and to thee, O Holy
Spirit, may there be, as there
ever hath been, glory for ever
and ever. Amen.

We find the following Prayer in the Gothic Missal.

PRAYER.

Deus, qui per beatissi-
mum Sebastianum Marty-
rem tuum, tuorum fidelium
animos roborasti : dum tibi
ilium latentem sub chlamy-
de terrena imperii, militem
perfectum exhibuisti, fac
nos semper in tuis laudibus
militare : os nostrum anna
documento justitise : cor
illustra tuae dilectionis amo-
re, atque camera nostram

0 God, who, by thy most
blessed Martyr Sebastian, hast
infused courage into the hearts
of thy faithful, since thou
didst make him, while con-
cealed under the service of an
earthly commander, a perfect
soldier of thine own : grant,
that we may ever fight for the
securing thy praise ; arm our
mouth with the teachings of
thy justice ; enlighten our

JAN. 20. SS. FABIAN AND SEBASTIAN. 365

heart with the love of thy love, erutam libidine clavis tuae
and, having freed our flesh crucis adfige.
from its concupiscence, secure
it to thyself with the nails of
thy cross.

Brave Soldier of our Emmanuel ! thou art now
sweetly reposing at the foot of his throne. Thy
wounds are closed, and thy rich palm-branch delights
all heaven by the freshness of its unfading beauty.
Look down upon the Church on earth, that tires not
in singing thy praise. Each Christmas, we find thee
near the Crib of the Divine Babe, its brave and
faithful sentinel. The office thou didst once fill in
an earthly prince's court, is still thine, but it is in
the palace of the King of kings. Into that palace,
we beseech thee, lead us by thy prayers, and gain a
favourable hearing to our own unworthy petitions.

With what a favourable ear mast not our Jesus
receive all thy requests, who didst love him with such
a brave love ! Thirstiog to shed thy blood in his
service, thou didst scorn a battle-field where danger
was not sure, and Rome, that Babylon which, as St.
John says,1 was drunk with the blood of the Martyrs,
Rome alone was worthy of thee. And there, it was
not thy plan to cull a palm, and hurry on to heaven ;
the courage of some of thy fellow-christians had
wavered, and the thought of their danger troubled
thee. Bushing into their prisons, where they lay
mutilated by the tortures they had endured, thou
didst give them back the fallen laurel, and teach
them how to secure it in the grasp of holy defiance.
It seemed as though thou wast commissioned to form
a pretorian band for the King of heaven, and that
thou couldst not enter heaven unless marshalling
thither a troop of veterans for Jesus.

Thy turn came at last ; the hour of thy confession

1 Apoc. xvii. 6.

866 CHRISTMAS.

was at hand, and thou hadst to think of thine own
fair crown. But, for such a soldier as thou, Sebastian,
one martyrdom is not enough. The archers have
faithfully done their work — not an arrow is left in
their quivers ; and yet, their victim lives, ready for a
second sacrifice. Such were the Christians of the
early times, and we are their children !

Look, then, O Soldier of Christ ! upon us, and pity
us, as thou didst thy brethren, who once faltered in
the combat. Alas ! we let everything frighten and
discourage us ; and, oftentimes, we are enemies of
the Cross, even while professing that we love it.
We too easily forget that we cannot be companions
of the martyrs, unless our hearts have the generosity
of the martyrs. We are cowardly in our contest
with the world and its pomps ; with the evil pro-
pensities of our nature, and the tyranny of our
senses — and thus we fall. And when we have made
an easy peace with God, and sealed it with the sacra-
ment of his love, we behave as though we had
now nothing more to do than to go on quietly to
heaven, without further trials or self-imposed sacri-
fices. Rouse us, great Saint ! from these illusions, and
waken us from our listless life. Our love of God
is asleep, and all must needs go wrong.

Preserve us from the contagion of bad example,
and of those worldly maxims which gain currency
even with christian minds, because christian lips
call them rules of christian prudence. Pray for us,
that we may be ardent in the pursuit of our sancti-
flcation, watchful over our inclinations, zealous for
the salvation of others, lovers of the Cross, and de-
tached from earthly things. Oh ! by the arrows which
pierced thee, we beseech thee shield us from those
hidden darts, which satan throws against us.

Pray for us, that we may be clad with the armour
of God, described to us by the great Apostle. May
we have on the breast-plate of justice, which will

JAN. 20. SS. FABIAN AND SEBASTIAN. 367

defend us from sin ; the helmet of salvation, that is,
the hope of gaining heaven, which will preserve us
from both despair and presumption ; the shield of
faith, which will ward off the darts of the enemy,
who seeks to corrupt the heart by leading the mind
into error ; and lastly, the sword of the Spirit, vjhieh
is the word of God, whereby we may put all false
doctrines to flight, and vanquish all our vices ; for
heaven and earth pass away, but the word of God
abides for ever, and is given us as our rule and the
pledge of our salvation.1

Defender of the Church I as the Yicar of Christ
called thee, lift up thy sword and defend her now.
Prostrate her enemies, and frustrate the plots they
have laid for her destruction. Let her enjoy one of
those rare periods of peace, during which she pre-
pares for fresh combats. Obtain for christian soldiers,
engaged in just wars, the blessing of the God of
Hosts. Protect the Holy City of Rome, where thy
Tomb is honoured. Avert from us, by thy interces-
sion, the scourge of pestilence and contagion. Hear
the prayers, which, each year, are addressed to thee for
the preservation of the creatures, given by God to
man to aid him in his daily labour. Secure to us, by
thy prayers, peace and happiness in this present
life, and the good things of the life to come.

1 Eph. vi. 13, et seqy.

368 CHRISTMAS.

January 21.
SAINT AGNES, YIEGIN AND MARTYR

How rich is the constellation of Martyrs, which
shines in this portion of the sacred Cycle. Yester-
day, we had St. Sebastian; to-morrow, we shall be
singing the name which means Victory, for it is the
Feast of Yincent; and now, to-day, between these
two rich palm-branches, we are rejoiced with the
lovely rose and lily-wreath of Agnes. It is to a girl of
thirteen that our Emmanuel gave this stern courage
of martyrdom, which made her meet the enemy with
as bold a front as either the valiant Captain of the
pretorian band or the dauntless Deacon of Saragossa.
If they are the soldiers of Jesus, she is his tender
and devoted Spouse. These are the triumphs of the
Son of Mary ! Scarcely has he shown himself to the
world, and lo! every noble heart flies towards him,
according to that word of his: Wheresoever the body
shall be, there shall the eagles also be gathered
together.1

It is the admirable result of the Yirginity of his
Blessed Mother, who has brought honour to the
fecundity of the soul, and set it far above that of
the body. It was Mary that first opened the way,
whereby certain chosen souls mount up even to the
Divine Sun, and fix their gaze, in a cloudless vision,
on his beauty ; for he himself said : Blessed are the
clean of heart, for they shall see God.2

1 St. Matth. xxiv. 28. 2 Ibid. y. 8.

JAN. 21. ST. AGNES. 369

What a glory is it not for the Catholic Church,
that she alone has the gift of this holy state of
Virginity, which is the source of every other sacrifice,
because nothing but the love of God could inspire a
human heart to vow Virginity ! And what a grand
honour for christian Rome, that she should have
produced a Saint Agnes, that angel of earth, in
comparison with whom the Vestals of paganism are
mere pretences of devotedness, for their Virginity
was never punished by fire and sword, nay, rather,
was flattered by the recompense of earthly honours
and riches I

Not that our Saint is without her recompense —
only, her recompense is not marred with the flaw of
all human rewards. The name of this child, who
lived but thirteen short years, will be echoed, to the
end of time, in the sacred Canon of the universal
Sacrifice. The path trod by the innocent maiden,
on the way to her trial, is still marked out in the
Holy City. In the Circus Agonalis,1 there rises the
beautiful Church of Saint Agnes, with its rich cupola;
and beneath are the vaults which were once the
haunts of infamy, but now are a holy sanctuary,
where everything reminds us of her who here won
her glorious victory. Further on, on the Nomentan
Road, outside the ramparts, is the beautiful Basilica,
b^iilt by Constantine ; and here, under an altar covered
with precious stones, lies the Body of the young
Saint. Bound this Basilica, there are immense
crypts ; and in these did Agnes' Relics repose until
the epoch of peace, surrounded by thousands of
Martyrs, whose holy remains were also deposited
here.

Nor must we pass over in silence the gracious
tribute of honour paid by Rome each year, on this
Feast, to her beloved Martyr. Two lambs are placed

1 Now, the Piazza Navona.
(2) 2 b

370 CHRISTMAS.

on the altar of the Basilica Nomentana; they are
emblems of the meekness of Jesus and the inno-
cence of the gentle Agnes. After they have been
blessed by the Abbot of the Religious Community,
which serves this Church, they are taken to a Monas-
tery of Nuns, where they are carefully reared. Their
wool is used for making the Palliums, which the
Pope sends to all Patriarchs and Metropolitans of
the Catholic world, as the essential emblem of their
jurisdiction. Thus, this simple woollen ornament,
which these prelates have to wear on their shoulders,
as a symbol of the sheep carried on the shoulders of
the good Shepherd, and which the Sovereign Pontiff
takes from off the Altar of Saint Peter in order to
send it to its destination, carries to the very ends of
the world the sublime union of these two sentiments
— the vigour and power of the Prince of the Apostles,
and the gentleness of Agnes the Virgin.

We will now quote the beautiful eulogium on St.
Agnes, written by St. Ambrose in his Book, On
Virgins.1 The Church gives almost the entire pas-
sage in her Office of to-day's Feast ; and, assuredly,
the Virgin of Christ could not have had a finer pane-
gyrist than the great Bishop of Milan, who is the most
eloquent and persuasive of all the Fathers on the
subject of holy Virginity. We read, that in the
Cities, where Ambrose preached, Mothers were afraid
of their daughters being present at his Sermons, lest
he should persuade them to such love of Christ, as to
choose the better part.

" Having resolved," says the holy Bishop, " to write
" a Book on Virginity, I think myself happy in being
" able to begin it on the Feast we are keeping of the
« Virgin Agnes. It is the Feast of a Virgin ; let us
" walk in the path of purity. It is the Feast of a
"Martyr; let us offer up our Sacrifice. It is the

1 Book I., ijost initium.

JAN. 21. ST. AGNES. 371

" Feast of St. Agnes ; let men admire, and children
" not despair ; let the married wonder, and the un-
" married imitate. But what can we speak worthy
" of this Saint, whose very name is not void of praise ?
<c As her devotedness is beyond her years, and her
" virtue superhuman — so, as it seems to me, her
" name is not an appellation, but a prophecy, pre-
" saging that she was to be a Martyr." The holy
Doctor is here alluding to the word Agnus, from
which some have derived the name Agnes ; and he
says, that the young Saint had immolation in her
very name, for it called her victim. He goes on to
consider the other etymology of Agnes, from the
Greek word agnos, which means pure ; and he thus
continues his discourse :

" The maiden's name is an expression of purity.
" Martyr, then, and Virgin ! Is not that praise
" enough \ There is no praise so eloquent, as merit
" that is too great to need seeking. No one is so praise-
" worthy, as he who may be praised by all. Now, all
" men are the praisers of Agnes, for when they pro-
" nounce her name, they say her praise, for they say
"A Martyr.

" There is a tradition, that she suffered martyrdom
" at the age of thirteen. Detestable, indeed, the
" cruelty, that spared not even so tender an age ! but
" oh ! the power of faith, that could find even chil-
" dren to be its witnesses ! Here was a victim scarce
" big enough for a wound, for, where could the sword
" fall ? and yet she had courage enough to conquer
" the sword.

" At such an age as this, a girl trembles if she but
" see her mother angry, and cries, as though it were a
" grievous thing, if but pricked with a needle's point.
" And Agnes, who stands amidst blood-stained mur-
" derers, is fearless ! She is stunned with the rattle
" of the heavy chains, and yet not a flutter in that
* heart ! She offers her whole body to the sword of

372 CHEISTMAS.

" the furious soldier, for though she knows not what
" death is, yet is she quite ready to endure it. Per-
" chance, they will take her by force to the altars of
" their gods ! If they do, she will stretch out her
" hands to Jesus, and, amidst those sacrilegious fires,
" she will sign herself with that blessed sign, the
" trophy of our divine conqueror ; and then, if they
" will, and they can find shackles small enough to fit
" such tender limbs, they may fasten her hands and
" neck in their iron fetters !

" How strange a martyrdom ! She is too young to
" be punished, yet is she old enough to win a victory.
" She cannot fight, yet she easily gains a crown.
" She has but the age of a scholar, yet has she mas-
" tered every virtue. Bride never went to nuptials
" with so glad a heart, or so light a step, as this young
" virgin marches to the place of execution. She is
" decked, not with the gay show of plaited tresses,
"but with Christ; she is wreathed, not with flowers,
" but with purity.

" All stood weeping ; Agnes shed not a tear. Some
" wondered, how it could be, that she, who had but just
" begun her life, should be as ready to sacrifice it, as
" though she had lived it out ; and every one was
" amazed, that she, who was too young to give evi-
" dence even in her own affairs, should be so bold
" a witness of the divinity. Her oath would be in-
" valid in a human cause ; yet, she is believed, when
" she bears testimony for her God. Their surprise
" was just : for a power thus above nature could
" only come from Him, who is the author of all
" nature.

" Her executioner does all he can to frighten her ;
" he speaks fair words to coax her; he tells her of all
" the suitors who have sought her as their bride ; but
" she replies : ' The Spouse insults her Beloved if she

hesitate. I belong to Him, who first betrothed

me : — why, executioner, dost thou not strike ? Kill

a <

JAN. 21. ST. AGNES.

373

" ' this body, which might be loved by eyes I would
" ' not wish to please.'

"She stood, she prayed, she bowed down her head.
" The executioner trembles, as though himself were
" going to be beheaded. His hand shakes, and
" his cheek grows pale, to strike this girl, who loves
" the danger and the blow. Here, then, have we a
" twofold martyrdom in a single victim — one for her
" chastity, the other for her faith. She was a Virgin
" before ; and now, she is a Martyr."

The Roman Church sings, on this Feast, the sweet
Responsories, in which Agnes expresses her tender
love of her Jesus, and her happiness at having Him
for her Spouse. They are formed from the words of
the ancient Acts of her Martyrdom, which were long
attributed to the pen of St. Ambrose.

EESPOSTSORIES.

I£. My Spouse has set pre-
cious stones on my right hand,
and on my neck ; he has hung
priceless pearls in my ears : *
And he has laden me with gay
and glittering gems. $\ He
has placed his sign upon my
face, that I may have none
other to love me hut Him. *
And he has.

1^. Dexteram meam et
collum meum cinxit lapidi-
bus pretiosis; tradidit au-
ribus meis insestimabiles
margaritas : * Et circumde-
dit me vernantibus atque
coruscantibus gemmis. p.
Posuit signum in faciem
meam, ut nullum praeter
eum, amatorem aclmittam. *
Et circumdedit me.

I£. I love Christ ; I shall be
the spouse of Him, whose
Mother is the Virgin, and
whose Father begot him di-
vinely, and who delights me
with sweet music of organs
and singers : * When I love
him, I am chaste ; when near

I£. Amo Christum in cu-
jus thalamum introibo, cu-
jus Mater virgo est, cujus
Pater feminam nescit, cu-
jus mihi organa modulatis
vocibus cantant : * Quern
cum amavero, casta sum,
cum tetigero, munda sum,

374

CHKISTMAS.

cum accepero, virgo sum.
$\ Annulo fidei suae subar-
rhavit me, et immensis mo-
nilibus ornavit me. * Quem.

him, I am purest ; when I pos-
sess him, I still wear my Vir-
gin's wreath. ~ff. He has be-
trothed me with the ring of
his fidelity, and has decked me
with a necklace of priceless
worth. * When.

1$. Mel et lac ex ejus ore
suscepi, * Et sanguis ejus
ornavit genas meas. p. Os-
tendit mihi thesauros in-
comparabiles, quos mihi se
daturum repromisit. * Et
sanguis.

E. Milk and honey have I
received from his lips ; * and
his Blood has graced my cheek,
jv. He has shown me incom-
parable -treasures, and these
has he promised to give me.
* And his Blood.

I|. Jam corpus ejus cor-
pori meo sociatum est, et
sanguis ejus ornavit genas
meas : * Cujus Mater virgo
est, cujus Pater feminam
nescit. $\ Ipsi sum despon-
sata cui Angeli serviunt,
cujus pulchritudinem sol et
luna mirantur. * Cujus Ma-
ter.

3$. Already have I commu-
nicated of his sacred Body,
and his Blood has graced my
cheek : * His Mother is the
Virgin, his Father is God. $".
I am espoused to Him whom
the Angels obey, and whose
beauty is gazed on by the sun
and the moon. * His Mother.

St. Ambrose was sure to write a Hymn on the
Virgin-Martyr, in whose praise be was so enthusi-
astic. We almost despair of giving an idea of the
beauty of his verses to such as can read only our
version of them.

HYMN.

Agnes beatas virginis
Natalis est, quo spiritum

It is the blessed Virgin
Agnes' feast, for, to-day, she

JAN. 21. ST. AGNES.

375

was sanctified by shedding her
innocent blood, and gave to
heaven her heaven-claimed
spirit.

She that was too yonng to
be a bride, was old enough to
be a martyr, and that, too, in
an age when men were falter-
ing in faith, and even hoary-
heads grew wearied and de-
nied our God.

Her parents trembled for
their Agnes, and doubly did
they thus defend the treasure
of her Purity; but. her Faith
disdains a silent hiding-place,
and unlocks its shelter-giving
gate.

One would think it was a
bride, hurrying with her glad
smiles to give some fresh-got
present to her Spouse ; and so
it was: she was bearing to
Him the dowry of her mar-
tyrdom.

They would fain make her
light a torch at the altar of
some vile deity they came to ;
"The Virgins of Jesus," said
Agnes, " are not wont to hold
" a torch like this.

" Its fire would quench one's
"faith — its flame would put
" out my light. Strike, strike
"me, and the stream of my
" blood shall extinguish these
"fires."

They strike her to the
ground ; and, as she falls, she
gathers her robes around her,
dreading, in the jealous purity
of her soul, the insulting gaze
of some lewd eye.

Alive to purity even in the
act of death, she buries her
face in her hands ; and kneel-
ing on the ground, she falls as
purity would wish to fall.

Coelo refudit debitum,
Pio sacrata sanguine.

Matura martyrio fuit,
Matura nondum nuptiis,
Nutabat in viris fides,
Cedebat et fessus senex.

Metu parentes territi
Claustrum pudoris auxe-

rant :
Solvit fores custodian
Fides teneri nescia.

Prodire quis nuptam pu-
tet,
Sic laeta vultu ducitur,
Novas viro ferens opes,
Dotata censu sanguinis.

Aras nefandi numinis
Adolere tseclis cogitur :
Respondet : Haud tales faces
Sumpsere Christi virgines.

Hie ignis extinguit fidem,
Hsec flamma lumen eripit :
Hie, hie ferite, ut profluo
Cruore restinguam focos.

Percussa quam pompam
tuliU
Nam veste se totam tegit,
Curam pudoris prsestitit,
Ne quis retectam cerneret.

In morte vivebat pudor,
Vultumque texerat manu ;
Terram genuflexo petit,
Lapsu verecundo cadens.

376

CHRISTMAS.

Gloria tibi Domine,
Gloria Unigenito,
Una cum Sancto Spiritu
In sempiterna ssecula.
Amen.

Glory be to thee, O Lord !
and glory to thine Only Be-
gotten Son, together with thy
Holy Spirit, for everlasting
ages. Amen.

Our admirable Prudentius, who visited Rome in
the early part of the 5th century, and witnessed the
devotion of the Roman people to St. Agnes, conse-
crated to her sweet memory the following Hymn,
which is one of the finest of his poems. Though very
long, it is the Hymn used for this Feast, in the
Mozarabic Breviary.

HYMN.

Agnes sepulchrum est Ro-

mulea in domo,
Portis puellae, martyris in-

clytae.
Conspectu in ipso condita

turrium,
Servat salutem virgo Quiri-

tinm :
Nee non et ipsos protegit

advenas,
Puro, ac fideli pectore sup-

plices.
Duplex corona est prae-

stita Martyri,
Intactum ab omni crimine

virginal,
Mortis deinde gloria liberae.
Aiunt, jugali vix habilem

toro
Primis in annis forte puellu-

lam,
Christo calentem, fortiter

impiis
Jussis renisam, quo minus

idolis
Addicta, sacram desereret

fidem.
Tentata multis nam prius

artibus,

The tomb of Agnes, the
intrepid maiden, the glorious
Martyr, is in the City of
Romulus. In her resting-
place, fronting the ramparts,
the Virgin watches over the
sons of Quirinus ; and to pil-
grims, too, that pray to her
with pure and faithful hearts,
she extends her protection.

She is a Martyr, that wears
a double crown ; for she was
a spotless, innocent, virgin ;
and a glorious victim that
freely died for Christ.

It is related, that when a
girl, and too young to be a
bride, she loved Jesus with
tenderest love, and bravely
withstood the impious com-
mands, that bade her offer
sacrifice to the idols, and deny
the holy faith.

No art was left untried to
make her yield : the judge

JAN. 21. ST. AGNES.

377

put on the softness of winning
words, and the grim execu-
tioner blustered out his
threats : — but Agnes stood
firm in stern courageousness,
bidding them put her body to
their fierce tortures, for that
she was willing to die.

Then spoke the fierce ty-
rant : " I know thy readiness
" to suffer pain and tortures,
" and at how low a price thou
" settest life ; but there is one
"thing thou holdest dear — a
"virgin's purity.

"'Tis this I have resolved
"to expose to insult in the
" common brothel, unless thy
"head shall bend before the
"altar of our virgin-goddess
" Minerva, and thou, a virgin
" that darest to despise a vir-
" gin such as she, shalt humbly
"crave her pardon. There
" shall youthful wantons have
" access, and thou be minister
" to passion."

"And thinkest thou," said
Agnes, "that Christ can so
" forget his children, as to let
" our gold of purity be robbed,
"and us be outcasts to his
"care1? He is ever with the
" chaste, shielding from injury
"the gift he has bestowed of
"holy virginity. Thy sword
" may drip, if so thou listest,
"with our blood; but, con-
" tamination and dishonour,
" never ! "

Scarce had she said these
words, than order was given
to expose her in the vaults of
the well-known street. A

Nunc ore blandi judicis il-

lice,
Nunc saevientis carnificis

minis,
Stabat feroci robore perti-

nax,
Corpusque duris excrucia-

tibus
Ultro offerebat, non renuens

mori.
Turn trux tyrannus : Si

facile est, ait,
Pcenam subactis ferre dolo-

ribus,
Et vita vilis spernitur : at

pudor
Charus dicatae virginitatis

est.
Hanc in lupanar tradere

publicum
Certum est, ad aram ni ca-
put applicet,
Ac de Minerva jam veniam

roget,
Quam virgo pergit temnere

virginem.
Omnis juventus irruat, et

novum
Ludibriorum mancipium

petat.
Haud, inquit Agnes, im-

memor est ita
Christus suorum, perdat ut

aureum
Nobis pudorem, nos quo-

que deserat.
Praesto est pudicis, nee pa-

titur sacrae
Integritatis munera pollui.
Ferrum impiabis sanguine,

si voles :
Non inquinabis membra li-

bidine.
Sic elocutam publicitus

jubet
Flexu in plateae sistere vir-
ginem.

378

CHEISTMAS.

Stantem refugit moesta fre-

quentia,
Aversa vultus, ne petulan-

tius
Quisquam verendum con-

spiceret locum.
Intendit unus forte pro-

caciter
Os in puellam, nee trepidat

sacram
Spectare formain lumine

lubrico.
En ales ignis fnlminis in

modum
Vibratur ardens, atque ocu-

los ferit :
Csecus corusco lumine cor-

ruit,
Atque in platese pulvere

palpitat.
Tollunt sodales seminecem

solo,
Verbisque deflent exequia-

libus.
Ibat triumphans virgo,

Deum Patrem,
Cliristumque sacro carmine

concinens,
Quod sub profani labe pe-

riculi
Castum lupanar, nee viola-
bile
Experta victrix virginitas

foret.
Sunt, qui rogatam rettu-

lerint preces
Fudisse Christo, redderet

ut reo
Lucem jacenti : turn juveni

halitum
Vitas innovatum visibus in-

tegris.
Primum sed Agnes liunc

habuit gradum
Ccelestis aulse, mox alius

datur.

throng, indeed, was there ;
but pity put a veil o'er every
eye, and fear imposed respect.

Save one alone, and gaze,
he says, he will. He scorns
this modest fear, which checks

the froward eye. But lo !

an Angel, swift as lightning,
strikes and blinds the wanton
wretch. He falls, and writhes
amidst the dust. His fellows
raise him from the ground,
lifeless, as he seems to them ;
and, weeping and lamenting,
bear the corpse away.

Agnes had triumphed : and
in a hymn of praise, she sings
her thanks to God the Father
and his Christ, for that they
had turned the den of infamy
into a shelter for her treasure,
and made virginity victorious.

Some

that

say, tnat she was
prayed to pray to Christ, that
he would restore the prostrate
sinner to the vision he had
lost : she did so, and the
youth regained his conscious-
ness and sight.

But this was only one ad-
vance in heaven for our Saint ;
a second is to come. The
cruel tyrant boils with furious

JAN. 21. ST. AGNES.

379

wrath, and choked with dis-
appointment, exclaims : "Shall
" I be baffled by a girl 1 Draw
"thy sword, soldier, and do
"the royal biddings of our
" sovereign lord."

Agnes looked up, and saw
the savage minion standing
with his unsheathed sword,
and thus she spoke with
beaming face : " Oh ! happy,
"happy change ! A wild,
" fierce, boisterous sword-
" man, for that young love-
" sick, smooth-faced, soft per-
" fumed murderer of the
" chaste soul !

" This is a suitor that does
please me. I will not run
from him, nor deny him
what he asks. His steel
shall nestle in my bosom,
and his sword shall warm in
my heart's best blood. Thus
wedded to my Christ, I shall
mount above this dark world
to the realms beyond the
clouds.

" Eternal King ! the gate
of heaven, closed to men
before thy coming on our
earth, is opened now — ah !
let me enter in. Call to
thyself, my Jesus, a soul
that seeks but thee : thy
virgin-spouse, and thy Fa-
ther's martyr— call me, Lord,
to thee."

Accensus irani nam furor

incitat
Hostis cruenti. Yincor, ait

gemens ;
I, stringe ferrum, miles, et

exere
Praecepta summi regia prin-

cipis.
Ut vidit Agnes, stare tru-

cem virum
Mucrone nudo, lsetior haec

ait :
Exsulto, talis quod potius

venit
Vesanus, atrox, turbidus

armiger,
Quam si veniret languidus,

ac tener
Mollisque ephebus tinctus

aromate,
Qui me pudoris funere per-

deret.
Hie, hie amator jam, fa-

teor, placet :
Ibo irruentis gressibus ob-

viam,
Nee demorabor vota calen-

tia :
Ferrum in papillas omne

recepero,
Pectusque ad imum vim

gladii traham.
Sic nupta Christo transi-

liam poli
Omnes tenebras sethere cel-

sior.
iEterne rector, divide

januas
Cceli, obseratas terrigenis

prius ; *
Ac te sequentem, Christe,

animam voca,
Quum virginalem, turn Pa-
ths hostiam.

380

CHBISTMAS.

Sic fata, Christum vertice

cernuo
Supplex adorat, vulnus ut

imminens
Cervix subiret prona para-

tius.
Ast ille tantam spem pera-

git manu :
Uno sub ictu nam caput

amputat.
Sensum doloris mors cita

praevenit.
Exutus inde spiritus emi-

cat,
Liberque in auras exilit :

Angeli
Sepsere euntem tramite can-
dido.
Miratur orbem sub pedi-

bus situm,
Spectat tenebras ardua sub-

ditas,
Ridetque, solis quod rota

circuit,
Quod mundus omnis volvit,

et implicat,
Herum quod atro turbine

vivitur,
Quod vana secli mobilitas

rapit :

Eeges, tyrannos, impe-

ria et gradus,
Pompasque honorum stulta

tumentium :
Argenti et auri vim, rabida

siti
Cunctis petitam per varium

nefas,
Splendore multo structa ha-

bitacula,
Illusa pictae vestis inania,
Irani, timorem, vota, peri-

cula :
Nunc triste longum, nunc

breve gaudium,

Thus did she pray ; and
then, with bended head, adored
her Lord, and in this posture
was the readier to receive the
uplifted sword. The soldier's
hand was raised, and all the
hopes of Agnes were fulfilled,
for with a single blow he be-
heads the holy maiden, and
death comes speedily to leave
no time for pain.

Quickly her spirit quits its
garb of flesh, and speeds un-
trammelled through the air,
surrounded, as it mounts, by
a choir of lovely Angels.

She sees this orb of ours far
far below, and all beneath her
seems a speck of dark. All
earthly things are now so dwin-
dled to her spirit's eye, that she
looks at them and smiles : —
yea, all seems poor : the space
traversed by the Sun, — the
globe with all its system, — all
that lives in the stormy whirl-
wind of creation, and changes
with the vain fickleness of the
world.

Kings and tyrants, empires
and grades, and the pompous
pageantry of honours big with
folly — the sovereignty of gold
and silver, which all men seek
with rabid thirst, and gain
by varied crime — sumptu-
ous dwellings — rich coloured
garbs, mere graceful lies —
wrath and fear, hope and
peril — grief so long, and joy
so brief — black envy's smoky
flames, which blight men's
hopes and fame — and last but
worst of all earth's ills, the

JAN. 21. ST. AGNES.

381

gloomy cloud of pagan super-
stition.

Agnes sees all this, and
tramples on them all. She
stands, and crushes with her
foot the serpent's head. This
monster, with his venom,
taints all things on earth, and
plunges into hell the fools that
are his slaves ; but, now, he
crouching lies beneath a vir-
gin's foot, droops his fiery
crest, and dares not raise his
vanquished head.

And now, our God girds
with two crowns the Virgin-
Martyr's brow : one is a sixty-
fold of light eternal and re-
ward : the other is the hun-
dredfold of fruit.

0 happy Virgin ! Singular
in thy glory ! Noble inhabi-
tant of heaven ! Decked with
a twofold crown ! Oh ! look
upon us who live in misery
and sin ; for, to thee alone did
our Heavenly Father give the
power to change impurity's
abode into the shelter of chas-
tity.

Fill my heart with the
bright ray of thine interces-
sion, and I shall be cleansed ;
for all is pure, that can from

Livoris atri fumificas faces
Nigrescit unde spes homi-

num et decus,
Et, quod malorum tetrius

omnium est,
Gentilitatis sordida nubila.
Hsec calcat Agnes, haec

pede proterit,
Stans, et draconis calce pre-

mens caput :
Terrena mund? qui ferus

omnia
Spargit venenis, mergit et

inferis,
Nunc virginali perdomitus

solo,
Cristas cerebri deprimit

ignei,
Nee victus audet tollere

verticem.
Cingit coronis interea

Deus
Frontem duabus martyris

innubae :
Unam decemplex eclita

sexies
Merces perenni lumine con-

ficit :
Centenus extat fructus in

altera.
O virgo felix, o nova glo-
ria,
Ccelestis arcis nobilis in-

cola,
Intende nostris colluvioni-

bus
Vultum gemello cum diade-

mate :
Cui posse soli Cunctiparens

dedit
Castum vel ipsum reddere

fornicem.
Purgabor oris propitia-

bilis
Fulgore, nostrum si jecur

impleas.

382

CHRIST11AS.

Nil non pudicum est quod

pia visere
Dignaris, almo vel ipede

tangere.

thy pity gain a look or loving

visit.

There is still another Hymn to the praise of
Agnes. It is from the pen of Adam of Saint- Victor,
and is one of the finest of his Sequences.

SEQUENCE.

Animemur ad agonem,
Recolentes passionem
Gloriosae virginis.

Contrectantes sacrum flo-
rem,
Respiremus ad odorem
Respersse dulcedinis.

Pulchra, prudens et illus-
tris,
Jam duobus Agnes lustris
Addebat triennium.

Proles amat hanc prse-
fecti :
Sed ad ejus virgo flecti
Respuit arbitrium.

Mira vis fidei,
Mira virginitas,
Mira virginei
Cordis integritas.

Sic Dei Films,
Nutu mirabili,
Se mirabilius
Prodit in fragili.

Languet amans : cubat
lecto :
Languor notus fit prsefecto ;
Maturat remedia.

Offert multa, spondet
plura,
Periturus peritura ;
Sed vilescunt omnia.

Nuclam prostituit
Presses flagitiis :

Let us get courage for our
own battle, by honouring the
martyrdom of the glorious vir-
gin Agnes.

Let us look at this sweet
flower of our feast, and inhale
into our souls the virtues of its
fragrance.

Agnes was fair, and wise,
and rich, and had reached her
thirteenth year.

The Prefect's son saw and
loved her ; but the maiden
could not be induced to grant
his suit.

How great is the power of
faith ! How wonderful is Vir-
ginity ! How admirable the
purity of a virgin heart !

7Tis thus that Jesus, by a
wonderful dispensation, shows
himself strongest in the weak-
est.

Sick, then, with love, the
suitor takes to bed ; his sick-
ness is made known to the
Prefect ; the cure is prepared.

Gifts in abundance, pro-
mises without end ; but, giver
and gifts, both are perishable
things ; and Agnes thought
both beneath her.

The Prefect condemns her
to the worst of insults ; Jesus

JAN. 21. ST. AGNES.

383

protects her with the flowing
tresses of her head, and a gar-
ment he sends her from hea-
ven.

He sends an Angel to stand
by her. The den of infamy
becomes a mansion of light ;
and consternation checks the
wanton crowd.

The blind suitor is angry,
and, rushing at his prey, is
choked by the wicked spirit.

The father mourns, and all
mourn ; Rome wept for the
death of the young man.

Agnes raises him to life ; the
crowd is in confusion, and
prepares a fire on which to
burn the virgin.

The fire burns the guilty ;
the flame raves against these
ravers, and avenges the ho-
nours of God.

The Saint gives thanks to
her Jesus ; offers her head to
the executioner, and dies un-
fearingly, for her purity was
safe.

O Agnes, standing at the
right hand of the Lamb, thy
Saviour, thou art now in glory,
and thou consolest thy parents,
inviting them to bliss.

Thou biddest them not
mourn for thee as for one that
was dead, for that thou wast
now united to the heavenly
Spouse : and he, under the
form of a Lamb, reveals to
them his own and thy virginal
glory.

Suffer us not to be separated
from the Lamb, our Saviour,
to whom thou didst consecrate
thy whole being ; and by whose

Quam Christus induit
Comarum fimbriis
Stolaque coelesti.

Coelestis nuncius
Assistit propius :
Cella libidinis
Fit locus luminis ;
Turbantur incesti

Csecus amans indigna-
tur,
Et irrumpens praefocatur
A maligno spiritu.

Luget pater, lugent
cuncti :
Roma flevit pro defuncti
Juvenis interitu.

Suscitatur ab Agnete,
Turba fremit indiscrete :
Rogum parant Yirgini.

Rogus ardens reos urit,
In furentes flamma furit,
Dans honorem Numini

Grates agens Salvatori,
Guttur offert hsec lictori,
Nee ad horam timet mori,
Puritatis conscia.

Agnes, Agni salutaris
Stans ad dextram gloria-

ris,
Et parentes consolaris
Invitans ad gaudia.
Ne te flerent ut defunc-

tam
Jam coelesti Sponso junc-

tam :
His sub agni forma suam
Revelavit, at que tuam
Virginalem gloriam.

Nos ab Agno salutari
Nbn permitte separari,
Cui te totam consecrasti :
Cujus ope tu curasti

384 CHRISTMAS.

Nobilem Constantiam. power thou didst heal the lady

Constance.
Vas electum, vas honoris, Vessel of election ! vessel of
Ineorrapti flos ocloris, honour ! flower of unfading

Angelorum grata choris, fragrance ! beloved of the

Honestatis et pudoris choirs of Angels ! thou art an

Formam prsebes sseculo. example to the world of virtue

and chastity.
Palma f ruens triumphali, O thou, that wearest a Mar-
Flore vernans virginali, tyr's palm and a Virgin's

Nos indignos speciali wreath ! pray for us, that,

Fac sanctorum general! though unworthy of a spe-

Vel subscribi titulo. cial crown, we may have our

Amen. names written kfthe -common

list of Saints.
Amen.

How sweet and yet bow strong, O Agnes ! is the
love of Jesus, thy Spouse ! It enters an innocent
heart, and that heart becomes full of dauntless cou-
rage ! Thus was it with thee. The world and its
pleasures, persecution and its tortures — all were
alike contemptible to thee. Thy pagan judge con-
demned thee to an insult, worse than a thousand
deaths — and thou didst not know that the Angel of
the Lord would defend thee ! — how is it, that thou
hadst no fear ? It was because the love of Jesus
filled thy heart. Fire was nothing ; the sword was
nothing ; the very hell of men's making, even that
was nothing to thee ! for thy love told thee that no
human power could ever rob thee of thy Jesus;
thou hadst his word for it, and thou knewest he
would keep it.

Dear Child ! innocent even in the capital of pagan
corruption, and free of heart even amidst a slavish
race, we read the image of our Emmanuel in thee.
He is the Lamb ; and thou art simple, like Jesus :
he is the Lion of the Tribe of Juda ; and, like Him,
thou art invincible. Truly, these Christians, as the
pagans said, are a race of beings come from heaven
to people this earth ! A family that has Martyrs,

JAN. 21. ST. AGNES. 385

and heroes, and heroines, like thee, brave Saint! — that
has young virgins, filled like its venerable Pontiffs
and veteran soldiers, with the fire of heaven, and
burning with ambition, to leave a world they have
edified with their virtues — is God's own people, and
it never can be extinct. Its Martyrs are to us the
representation of the divine virtues of our Lord
Jesus Christ. By nature, they were as weak as we ;
they had a disadvantage, which we have not — they
had to live in the very thick of paganism, and
paganism had corrupted the whole earth ; and not-
withstanding all this, they were courageous and chaste.
Have pity on us and help us, O thou, one of the
brightest of these great Saints ! The love of Jesus
is weak in our hearts. We are affected, and shed
tears at the recital of thy heroic conduct ; but we
are cowards in the battle we ourselves have to fight
against the world and our passions. The habitual
seeking after ease and comfort has fastened upon us
a certain effeminacy; we are ever throwing away
our interest upon trifles ; how can we have earnest-
ness and courage for our duties ? Sanctity ! we can-
not understand it; and when we hear or read of it, we
gravely say, that the Saints did very strange things,
and were indiscreet, and were carried away by exag-
gerated notions ! What must we think on this thy
Feast, of thy contempt for the world and all its
pleasures, of thy heavenly enthusiasm, of thy eager-
ness to go to thy Jesus by suffering ? Thou wast a
Christian, Agnes ! Are we, too, Christians ? Oh !
pray for us that we may love like Christians, that is,
with a generous and active love, with a love which
can feel indignant when asked to have less detach-
ment from all that is not our God. Pray for us, that
our piety may be that of the Gospel, and not the
fashionable piety which pleases the world, and makes
us pleased with ourselves. There are some brave
hearts who follow thy example ; but they are few ;
(2) 2c

386 CHRISTMAS.

increase their number by thy prayers, that so the
Divine Lamb may be followed, whithersoever he
goeth in heaven, by a countless number of Yirgins
and Martyrs.

Innocent Saint ! we meet thee, each year, at the
Crib of the Divine Babe, and we delight, on thy
Feast, to think of the wonderful love there is between
Jesus and his brave little Martyr. This Lamb is
come to die for us, too, and invites us to Bethlehem ;
speak to him for us ; the intercession of a Saint who
loved him as thou didst, can work wonders even for
such sinners as we. Lead us to his sweet Virgin-
Mother. Thou didst imitate her virginal purity ;
ask her to give us one of those powerful prayers,
which can cleanse even worse hearts than ours.

Pray also, 0 Agnes ! for the holy Church, which
is the Spouse of Jesus. It was she that gave thee
to be his, and it is from her that we, also, have re-
ceived our life and our light. Pray that she may be
blessed with an ever-increasing number of faithful
virgins. Protect Borne, the City which guards thy
Belies, and loves thee so tenderly. Bless the Prelates
of the Church, and obtain for them the meekness
of the lamb, the firmness of the rock, the zeal of
the good Shepherd for his lost sheep. And lastly,
O Spouse of Jesus ! hear the prayers of all who in-
voke thee, and let thy charity for us, thy exiled bre-
thren, learn from the Heart of Jesus the secret of
growing more ardent as our world grows older.

JAN. 22. SS. VINCENT AND ANASTASIUS. 387

January 22.

SAINTS VINCENT AND ANASTASIUS,
MARTYRS.

SAINT VINCENT, DEACON AND MARTYR.

Vincent, the Victorious, vested in the sacred dal-
matic, and holding his palm in his hand, comes, to-
day, to his Jesus' Crib, and right welcome is he to
Stephen, the Crowned, his leader and his brother.
Spain is his country. He is a Deacon of the glorious
Church of Saragossa, and, by the strength and warmth
of his faith, he is a type of that land, which is, by
excellence, the Catholic Kingdom. But he does not
belong to Spain only : like Stephen, and like Lau-
rence, Vincent is the favourite and hero of the whole
Church. Stephen, the Deacon, preached the divinity
of Jesus amidst the shower of stones which were
hurled upon him as a blasphemer ; Vincent, the
Deacon, confessed his faith in Jesus upon his red-hot
gridiron, as did that other Deacon, Laurence. This
triumvirate of Martyr-Deacons cluster together in
the sacred Litany, and when we hear their three
grand names, the Crown, the Laurel, and the Con-
queror, we hail them as the three bravest Knights of
our most dear Lord.

Vincent triumphed over the torture of fire, be-
cause the flame of divine love which burned within
his soul, was keener than that which scorched his
body. He was comforted, in the most miraculous
manner, during his great sufferings; but God worked

S8S CHRISTMAS.

these prodigies, not to deprive Vincent of his crown,
but to show his own power. The holy Deacon had
but one thought, in the midst of all his pains — he was
ambitious to make a return, by the gift of his own
life, for that sacrifice whereby his divine Master had
died for him and for all men. And now, that so gene-
rous a lover of God should be at the Crib of this same
Jesus — is it not right and just ? Oh ! how he urges
us, every Christmas, to love this Divine Infant ! He
that hesitated not, when called on to give himself
to his Lord, even though it was to cost him such
cruel pains — what cowards wo aid he not call us, who
can come so many Christmases to Bethlehem, and
have nothing to give, but cold and divided hearts !
His sacrifice was to be burnt alive, and torn, and cut,
and he smiled as he gave it : what are we to say of
ourselves, who take years to think before we will give
up those childish things, which prevent us from ever
seriously beginning a new life, with our new-born
Jesus ! Would that the sight of all these Martyrs, in
whose company the Church has made us. live during
these few last days, would touch our hearts, and make
them resolute and simple !

There is an ancient christian tradition, which makes
St. Vincent the patron of vineyards and labourers in
vineyards. This was, no doubt, suggested by the
Saint's having held the office of Deacon ; for the
Deacon has to pour wine into the chalice during the
holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and that wine is to be
changed into the Blood of Christ. A few days ago,
we assisted at the mystery of the Feast at Cana :
Jesus then offered us the sacred cup, the wine of his
love : to-day, again, he offers it to us by the hand of
his Martyr Vincent. To make himself worthy of his
high office, the holy Deacon mingled his own blood,
as a generous wine, in the cup that holds the price of
the world's salvation. It is thus that we are to un-
derstand that expression of St. Paul, which says, that

JAN. 22, SS, VINCENT AND ANASTASIUS. 389

the Saints fill up, in the flesh, by the merit of their
sufferings, those things that are wanting, not in their
efficacy, but in their fulness, of the sufferings of
Christ} whose members the Saints are.

We will now give the abridged account of the mar-
tyrdom of St. Vincent, as it is related in the Lessons
of his Feast,

Vincent was born atHuesca,
a town of northern Spain, and,
when quite a child, applied
himself to study. He was
taught the sacred sciences by
Valerius, the Bishop of Sara-
gossa. This prelate intrusted
him with the duty of preach-
ing the Gospel, on account of
himself not being able to dis-
charge that office, by reason of
an impediment in his speech.
This having reached the ears
of Dacian, who had been made
governor of that province by
Dioclesian and Maximian,
Vincent was apprehended at
Saragossa, and was led in
chains to Valencia, before
the judgment-seat of Dacian.
There he was tortured by
lashes and the rack, in the pre-
sence of many people ; but
neither the violence of the
torments, nor the harsh or
bland speeches addressed to
him, could induce him to
swerve from his resolution.
He was therefore laid on a
gridiron, which was set upon
burning coals ; his flesh was
torn off with iron hooks, and
red-hot plates were laid over
him. After this, he was led
back to prison, the floor of

Vincentius, Oscse in His-
pania citeriore natus, a pri-
ma aetate studiis deditus,
sacras litteras a Valerio Cae-
sar-Augustan o Episcopo di-
dicit : cujus etiam partes
suscepit praedicandi Evan-
gelium, quod Episcopus,
propter linguae impedimen-
tum, praedicationis officio
fungi non poterat. Ea re ad
Dacianum, provinciae a Dio-
cletiano et Maximiano prae-
positum, delata, Vincentius
Caesar- Augustae comprehen-
ditur, et vinctus ad Dacia-
num, Valentiam adducitur.
Ubi verberibus et equuleo
tortus, multis praesentibus,
cum nulla aut tormentorum
vi, aut acerbitate, vel leni-
tate verborum a proposito
deterreri posset ; in crati-
cula impositus, prunis ar-
dentibus suppositus, ac fer-
reis unguibus excarnifica-
tus, candentibusque laminis
exustus, iterum ducitur in
carcerem stratum testaceis
fragmentis, lit ejus nudum
corpus, somno oppressum,
a subjectis etiam testarum
aculeis torqueretur.

1 Coloss. i. 24.

390

CHEISTMAS.

Verum illo in tenebricosa
incluso custoclia, clarissimus
splendor obortus totnrn car-
cereni illustravit : quae lux
cum summa admiratione
omnes, qui aderant, affecis-
set, res a custode carceris ad
Dacianum defertur. Qui
eductum in molli culcitra
collocat : et quern cruciati-
bus in suam sententiam tra-
liere non poterat, deliciis
perducere conatur. Sed in-
victus Vincentii animus Jesu
Christi fide speque munitus,
vicit omnia : et ignis, ferri,
tortorum immanitate supe-
rata, victor ad ccelestem
martyrii coronam advolavit
undecimo kalendas Febru-
arii. Cujus corpus, cum
projectum esset inhumatum;
corvus et a volucribus et a
lupo, unguibus, rostro, alis
mirabiliter defendit. Qua
re cognita, Dacianus illud
in altum mare demergi ju-
bet : sed inde etiam divi-
nitus ejectum ad littus,
Christiani sepeliunt.

which had been strewed with
broken potsherds, in order that
when he lay down to sleep, his
body might be tortured by
their sharp edges.

But, whilst he was shut up
in this dark prison, a most
bright light penetrated the
place. They who were present,
were astonished beyond mea-
sure, and the gaoler informed
Dacian of what had occurred.
Vincent was then ordered to
be taken out of prison, and put
on a soft bed; for the governor
thought to gain over by such
comforts as this, him whom
he had failed to seduce by tor-
tures. But Vincent's invinci-
ble spirit, strengthened by its
faith and hope in Christ Je-
sus, overcame all their efforts ;
and after triumphing over fire,
and sword, and all his tortures,
took his flight to heaven, there
to receive the crown of mar-
tyrdom, on the eleventh of the
Calends of February (January
22). His body was thrown on
a marsh, and denied burial ;
but a crow miraculously de-
fended it, by its claws, beak,
and wings, against birds of
prey and a wolf. Dacian, hear-
ing this, ordered it to be thrown
into a deep part of the sea :
but, by a fresh prodigy, it was
washed to the shore, and the
Christians gave it burial.

Liturgy

The Gothic Church of Spain, in her Mozarabic
is magnificent in her praises of St. Vincent.
The first and second of the following Prayers are
taken from the Breviary, the third is from the Missal,
of that Rite.

JAN. 22. SS. VINCENT AND ANASTASIUS. 391

PEAYEE.

O God, who didst wonder-
fully, with manifold suffer-
ings, crown thy servant Vin-
cent, and didst deliver him
from the effects of his tor-
ments, to the end that he might
gloriously trample upon each
cruel punishment with those
feet of his, that had never trod
in the mire of vice ; who didst,
moreover, save him from the
deep waters, to the end that
he, whose spirit had despised
the world, might be near to
his heritage in heaven : grant
unto us, by the prayers of this
so great a Martyr, that we
may never be defiled by the
mire of sin, nor be plunged
in the deep pool of despair,
but may be presented to thee,
on the day of judgment,
beautified with a spotless
freedom of conscience. Amen.

Deus qui multis passio-
num generibus mirifice Vin-
centium coronasti, liberans
ilium ab omni exitio tor-
mentorum, ut vestigia ejus,
quae luto non inhaeserant
vitiorum, mirifice calcarent
omne crudelitatis suppli-
cium : ne aquarum absor-
beretur profundo, qui men-
te saeculum calcans, jam
haeres esset proximus ccelo :
praebe nobis precibus tanti
Martyris, nee luto vitiorum
attingi, nee profunda despe-
rationis voragine operiri,
sed Candida conscientiae li-
bertate decori tibi praesen-
temur in die judicii. Amen.

PEAYEE.

We bless thee, 0 Almighty
God, for that thou didst de-
liver thy most blessed Martyr
Vincent, as heretofore the
three children, from the flames
of fire; for when his body was
laid on the fire, it burned, but
could not conquer, him. Hear
his prayer for us, and pour into
our innermost spirit the dew
of thy mercy, that so, the fire
of our carnal passions being
slaked, the flame of sin that
is within us may smoulder,
and though, by nature, it
cease not to molest us, permit
not, we t beseech thee, that
our weakness, while passing

Benedicimus te, omnipo-
tens Deus, qui beatissimum
Vincentium Martyrem tu-
um sicut quondam tres
pueros, ab ignis incendio
liberasti : cum ejus utique
membris adhibita flamma,
etsi esset quae exureret, non
tamen esset quae vinceret ;
ejus ergo precibus rorem
misericordiae tuae nostris
infunde visceribus, ut made-
facto igne carnalis incendii,
flamma in nobis tepescat
peccati ; quae etsi a nobis
naturaliter non desistat,
quaesumus, ne fragilitatem
nostram materialiter sue-

S92

CHRISTMAS.

censam comburat ; sed ita
gratia naturae subveniat, ut
quod origine caremus, mu-
nere restinguere valeamus.
Amen.

through the fire, should ever
be burnt ; but grant, that grace
may in such manner assist
nature, as that we may be able
to quench by thy gift what
originated without us. Amen.

PEAYEE.

Christe cujus magnitudo
potentise Vincentii Martyris
tui corpus, quod vesano Da-
ciani furore fuerat marinis
projectum in fluctibus, un-
dis advehentibus honoran-
dum revocabit littoribus :
tu nos, eodem Martyre suf-
fragante, a procelloso istius
saeculi profundo, manu pie-
tatis, in supernis attolle :
ut qui inimico impellente,
in mare, excrescentibus de-
lictis, cecidimus, et per cha-
ritatem, quae est coopertio
peccatorum, ad portum sa-
lutis quancloque pervenia-
mus, laetaturi cum omnibus
invicem quos dilectio tua
jungit in hac praesenti Mar-
tyris tui solemnitate. Amen.

0 Jesus ! by whose great
power the body of thy Martyr
Vincent, which the mad fury
of Dacian had cast into the
sea, was borne to the shore on
the bosom of the waves, that
it might receive honour from
man : do thou, by this thy
Martyr's praying for us, stretch
out thy hand of pity, and
raise us, from the stormy sea
of this world, to the heavenly
country above ; that thus, we,
who were driven, by the im-
pulse of the enemy, to burden
ourselves with guilt and so
fall into the gulph, may at
length, by charity, which
covereth sin, arrive at the port
of salvation, and rejoice in the
company of all these, who out
of love for thee, are assembled
on this Feast of thy Martyr.
Amen.

"We regret being obliged to content ourselves with
a few stanzas of the magnificent Hymn composed by
Prudentius in honour of St. Vincent. The Ambro-
sian Breviary has selected several verses of this long
Poem, for one of its Hymns ; and these we offer to
our readers.

HYMN.

Beate Martyr, prospera
Diem triumphalem tuum :

0 blessed Martyr ! bless this
day of thy feast, whereon the

JAN". 22. SS. VINCENT AND ANASTASIUS. 393

crown is given to thee, the
Conqueror ; and thou didst
purchase it by thy blood.

This is the day which took
thee from this dark world to
heaven, and restored thee in
triumph to Christ, for thou
hadst conquered thy torturer
and thy judge.

Fellow now of the Angels,
thou shinest in thy bright
stole, which thou didst wash
in the stream of thy blood, for
thou wast the invincible wit-
ness of Christ.

Thou wast a levite of the
holy tribe, a Minister of God's
altar, which is surrounded by
its seven snow-white pillars ;
and, by thy noble triumph,
thou art a Martyr of Christ.

_ Thou alone, 0 doubly noble !
didst bear away the palms of
a double victory, and wreathe
two laurels for thy brow.

Conqueror, once, in the
hard death thou didst endure ;
and, then, after death, thou
wast conqueror over the tyrant-
thief , and, with thy body alone,
didst gloriously defeat him.

Oh ! by thy chains, and fires,
and hooks ; by thy prison-
chains ; by the potsherds,
strewed to enhance thy glory,

Assist us now, and hear the
humble prayers of thy sup-
pliants, and make interces-
sion for us sinners at the
throne of God.

To God the Father, and to
his Only Son, and to the Holy
Paraclete, be glory now and
for all ages. Amen.

Quo sanguinis merces tibi
Corona Vincenti datur.

Hie te ex tenebris sseculi,
Tortore victo et judice,
Evexit ad coelum dies,
Christoque ovantem reddi-
dit.

Nunc Angelorum parti-
ceps,
Collucis insigni stola,
Quam testis indomabilis
Eivis cruoris laveras.

Levita de tribu sacra,
Minister altaris Dei,
Septem ex colmnnis lacteis,
Martyr triumpho nobili.

Tu solus, o bis inclyte,
Solus bravii duplicis
Palmas tulisti : tu duas
Simul parasti laureas.

In morte victor aspera,
Dum deinde post mortem

pari
Victor triumpho proteris
Solo latronem corpore.

Per vincla, flammas, un-
gulas,
Per carceralem stipitem,
Per fragmen illucl testeum
Quo parta crevit gloria ;

Adesto nunc et percipe
Voces precantum supplices,
Nostri reatus efficax
Orator ad thronum Dei.

Deo Patri sit gloria,
Ejusque soli Filio,
Cum Spiritu Paraclito,
Nunc et per omne saeculum.
Amen.

394

CHEISTMAS.

Adam of Saint- Victor composed two Sequences
in honour of the great Deacon of Saragossa. We
consider it a duty to insert them both, for they are
very beautiful.

1st sequence.

Ecce dies prseoptata,
Dies felix, dies grata,
Dies digna gaudio.

Nos hanc diem venere-

mur,
Et pugnantem admiremur
Christum in Vincentio.
Ortu, fide, sanctitate,
Sensu, verbo dignitate,
Claras et officio.

Hie arcem Diaconi,
Sub patris Yalerii
Regebat imperio.

Linguae praesul impeditae
Deo vacat : et Levitae
Verbi dat officium.

Cujus hnguam sermo rec-
tus,
Duplex quoque, simplex

pectus
Exornat scientia.

Dumque fidem docet sa-
nam
Plebem Caesaraugustanam,
Comitante gratia,

Saevit in Ecclesiam
Zelans idolatriam
Praesidis invidia.

Post auditam fidei con-
stantiam,
Jubet ambos pertrahi Va-
lentiam
Sub catenis.
Nee juveni parcitur egre-

gio,
Nee aetas attenditur ab im-
pio

Sancti senis.

Lo ! the wished-for day is
come ! The happy, dear, and
joyous day !

Let us honour this day, and
admire in Vincent the combats
of Christ.

Vincent was great by birth,
and faith, and piety, and wis-
dom, and preaching, and dig-
nity, and office.

He held the position of
Deacon, under the command
of his Father, Valerius.

The Bishop could not speak,
so served his God in quiet, and
gives to the Levite the office
of the word.

On his lips, was the word
of truth ; and in his simple
soul, the gracefulness of a two-
fold science :

For whilst, by the help of
grace, he instructs the people
of Saragossa in the faith,

There rages against the
Church the envious tyranny
of the governor, an idolatrous
zealot.

He had heard of Valerius
and his Deacon, and how
boldly they taught the faith ;
he orders both to be put in
chains, and led to Valentia.

To such a wretch as he, what
was the flower of Vincent's
age, or the grey locks of the
saintly Bishop 1

JAN. 22. SS. VINCENT AND ANASTASIUS. 395

Worn out by the journey,
and galled by their iron chains,
he confines them in a dark
dungeon, denying them food
and drink.

He does all he can, though
not all he would, to give his
captives pain ; they are dear
to Christ, and He provides
them food.

The governor sends the ve-
nerable Bishop into exile,
keeping the young Deacon for
a sharper test.

And first, he is put on the
rack ; then torn with hooks ;
and then, with twice a braver
heart, mounts the iron bed.

His flesh is grilled, but his
heart is staunch : louder than
ever he confesses Christ : and
heeds not the tyrant, who
stands looking on.

The monster's eyes flash with
fire ; his tongue is dumb, his
hand is palsied, and himself
wild with a maddened heart.

He bids them throw the
Martyr into a prison, strewed
with sharp potsherds, which
will cut him as he stands, or
sleeps ; but here he enjoys a
bright light, and is visited by
Angels.

At last, he is laid upon a
bed ; his victorious and tri-
umphant soul thus takes its
flight to heaven, and is pre-
sented to its Lord.

The wicked tyrant refuses
to the Martyr's body the com-
mon right of burial, thus
trampling on both law and
nature.

Fessos ex itinere,
Pressos ferri pondere
Tetro claudit carcere,
Negans victualia.

Sic pro posse nocuit,
Nee pro voto potuit,
Quia suos aluit
Christi providentia.

Seniorem relegat exilio :
Juniorem reservat supplicio
Praeses acerbiori.

Equuleum perpessus et
ungulam
Vincentius, conscendit cra-

ticulam
Spiritu fortiori.

Dum torretur, non terre-
tur ;
Christum magis confitetur,
ISTec tyrannum reveretur,
In ejus prsesentia.

Ardet vultus inhumanus :
Haeret lingua, tremit ma-
ims :
ISTec se capit Dacianus
Prae cordis insania.
Inde specu Martyr retru-
ditur,
Et testulis fixus illiditur ;
Multa tamen hie luce frui-

tur,
Ab Angelis visitatus.

In lectulo ' tandem repo-
situs,
Ad superos transit emeritus,
Sicque suo triumphans spi-

ritus
Est Principi praesentatus.

Non communi sinit jure
Virum tradi sepulturae :
Legi simul et naturae
Vim facit malitia.

396

CHRISTMAS.

In defunctum judex sas-
vit :
Hinc defuncto laus accres-

cit :
Nam quo vesci consuevit
Reformidat bestia.

En cadaver inhumatum
Corvus servat illibatum :
Sicque sua sceleratum
Frustratur intentio;

At profanus Dacianus
Quod consumi nequit humi,
Vult abscond! sub profundi
Gurgitis silentio.

ISTec tenetur a molari,
Nee celari potest niari :
Quern nunc laude singulari
Venerari voto pari
Satagit Ecclesia.

Ustulatum corpus igne,
Terra, mari fit insigne.
Nobis, Jesu, da benigne,
Ut cum Sanctis te condigne
Laudemus in patria.

Amen.

He reeks his anger on the
dead, but only to increase the
Martyr's praise ; and beasts of
prey approach, but fear to
touch the holy corpse,

For lo ! a crow protects the
unburied saint ; and thus is
foiled the wicked tyrant's
scheme.

Then Dacian finding that he
cannot destroy the holy re-
mains on land, has them
thrown into the silent grave
of the deep sea.

But neither does the huge
stone weigh them down, nor
will the sea retain them. And
now the Church studies how
to honour Vincent with spe-
cial praise, and the Faithful,
with one accord, join her in
her hymns.

This body, which was
scorched by fire, is honoured
both on sea and land. 0 Jesus !
mercifully grant, that together
with thy Saints, we too may
worthily praise thee in our
heavenly home.

Amen.

2nd sequence.

Triumphalis lux illuxit.
Lux praeclara, quae reduxit

Levitae solemnium ;
Omnes ergo jocundemur,
Et vincentem veneremur
In Christo Vincentium.
Qui Vincentis habet no-
men
Ex re probat dignum omen

Sui fore nominis :
Vincens terra, Vincens mari,
Quidquid potest irrogari
Pcense vel formidinis.

The day of triumph has
dawned, the honoured day
that brings us the Deacon's
Feast. Therefore, let us all
be glad, and venerate our Vin-
cent victorious in Christ.

He is called Vincent, and he
proves that his name was pro-
phetic of his deeds : vanquish-
ing on land, and vanquishing
on sea, every insult, pain, and
fear.

JAN. 22. SS. VINCENT AND ANASTASIUS. 397

He is clad as with a twice-
dyed crimson robe ; lie shines
as the hyacinth. His loins are
girt with purity twice pure.
He wears the Deacon's linen
stole, and he seeks the Mar-
tyr's palm, bearing, for Christ,
and with unflinching heart,
the pangs of cruel torture.

He is the well marrowed
victim, and the lamb whose
fleece is dyed with scarlet to
cover the tabernacle. He sows
in holy tears, and reaps the
sheaf of life, earned by the
sweat of his blood.

The servant of God is hur-
ried to the blood-stained court
of the cruel Dacian, who
tempts the Saint, first by en-
treaty, then by threat, and then
by offers of worldly pomps.

The soldier of Christ spurns
the proposal of the haughty
tyrant ; his world-flower, his
gifts, his coaxings, and his
threats. For this, the rack.
But while he tortures more,
more tortured is the tyrant by
his slighted pride.

The crackling flame, the
fiery bed, the cutting whips,
the salt rubbed deep within
his gaping wounds — burn, in-
deed, and torture, but conquer
not the laughing combatant of
Christ.

The sharp potsherds of his
prison-floor cut and tear his
flesh ; but joy, imparting ease
and unction, is sent to him by
God. His chains become his
ornament, his gloomy prison a

Hie effulget ad bis tincti
Cocci instar et jacinthi,
Cujus lumbi sunt praecincti

Duplici munditia.
Hie retortam byssum ge-

rens
Purpuraeque palmam quae-

rens,
Stat invictus, dira ferens

Pro Christo supplicia.
Hie hostia medullata,
Vervex pelle rubricata

Tegens tabernaculum ;
Pio serit in maerore,
Et vitalem ex sudore

Reportat manipulum.

Ad cruenta Daciani
Dei servus inhumani
Rapitur praetoria.
Praeses sanctum prece ten-

tat/,
Nunc exterret, nunc prae-
sentat
Mundana fastigia.
Miles spernens mundi flo-
rem,
Dona, preces et terrorem

Elatae tyrannidis,
Equuleo admovetur :
Quern plus torquet, plus
torquetur
Spretus tumor praesidis.
Flamma vigens, ardens,
lectus,
Lictor caedens, sal injectus

In nudata viscera,
Simul torrent, simul angunt,
Nee athletam laetum fran-
gunt
Tot pcenarum genera.
Antro clausum testa pun-
git,
Membra scindit et disjun-

git;
Sed confortat et perungit
Coelestis jocunditas :

398

CHRISTMAS.

Illic onus in honorem,
Caecus career in splendo-

rem,
riorum transit in dulcorem

Testarum asperitas.
Collocatur molli thoro,
Sursurn spirat, et canore
Angelorum septus choro

Cselo reddit spiritum :
Peris dato custos datur,
Mari rnersus non celatur,
Sed liunc digne veneratur

Mundus sibi redditum.

Claruerunt ita dignis
Elementa cuncta signis,
Aqua, tellus, aer, ignis,

In ejus victoria ;
Summe testis veritatis,
Ora Christum, ut peccatis
Nos emundet, et mundatis

Vera praestet gaudia ;
Ut cantemus, claritatis
Cohaeredes : Alleluia !

glittering hall, and the cruel
potsherds soft sweet flowers.

He is laid on a soft couch ;
panting to ascend, and sur-
rounded by a tuneful choir of
Angels, his spirit soars to hea-
ven. His body is thrown to
beasts of prey; a faithful
guard protects. It is cast into
the sea ; the waves convey it
to the shore. Welcomed by
mankind, he receives the lov-
ing veneration of a world.

Thus did the elements, sea,
and earth, and air, and fire,
celebrate his victory. O ad-
mirable witness of the truth !
pray for us to Christ, that he
cleanse us from our sins, and
bring us purified to the hea-
venly joys, to sing with thee,
companions in thy bliss, our
ceaseless Alleluia.

Hail, Victorious Deacon ! How beautiful art
thou, with the Chalice of salvation in thy brave
hands ! It was thine orifice to offer it at the Altar,
in order that the wine it contained might be changed,
by the sacred words, into the Blood of Christ ; and,
when the Mystery was accomplished, thou hadst to
take this same Chalice, and present it to the Faith-
ful, to the end that they who thirsted after their
God, might drink at the source of eternal life. But,
on this day, thou offerest it thyself to Jesus, and it is
full to the brim with thine own blood. Oh ! how
faithful a Deacon ! giving even thy very life in testi-
mony to the Mysteries of which thou wast the dis-
penser. Three centuries had elapsed since Stephen's
sacrifice; sixty years had gone by since the sweet
incense of Laurence's martyrdom had ascended to

JAN". 22. SS. VINCENT AND ANASTASIUS. 399

the throne of God ; and now, it is the last persecu-
tion— peace is dawning on the Church — and a third
Deacon comes to prove that time had not impaired
the Order — it was the Deacon of Saragossa — thyself,
dear Saint !

Bright is thy name in the list of Martyrs, O
Vincent ! and the Church is proud of thy triumph.
It was for the Church, after Jesus, that thou didst
combat: — have pity on us, therefore, and signalise
this day of thy Feast by showing us the effects of
thy protection. Thou art face to face with the King
of Ages, whose battle thou didst fight on earth, and
thou gazest, with a loving yet dazzled eye, on his
eternal beauty. We, also, we, who are in this valley
of tears, possess him, and see him, for he calls him-
self our Emmanuel, God with us. But, it is under
the form of a weak Babe that he shows himself to
us, for he fears to overpower us with the splendour
of his majesty. Pray for us, 0 holy Martyr Yin-
cent ! for, at times, we tremble at the thought
that this sweet Jesus is, one day, to be our Judge.
When we reflect on what thou didst and sufferedst
for him, we have scarcely courage to think upon our-
selves, for, what good works can we show ? or who
can say of us, that we were ever warm in defending the
cause of our Divine Master ? Oh ! that thy Feast
might shame us into the earnest uncalculating sim-
plicity, which this sweet Babe of Bethlehem is come
to teach us — the simplicity which springs from
humility and confidence in God, and which made
thee go through all thy martyrdom with a brave, but
oh ! with such a calm spirit ! Pray for us, that we
may, at length, obey the God who teaches us by his
own example, and, with hearts ambitious for nought
but the pleasing Him, accomplish his will, what-
ever that may ask of us ; and all this with the calm
cheerfulness of devoted service.

Pray, Vincent, for all Christians, for all are called

400 CHRISTMAS.

to fight against the world, and their own passions.
We are all invited to a palm, a crown, a Victory.
Jesus will admit none but conquerors to the banquet
of eternal glory, where he has promised to drink with
us the new wine, in the kingdom of his Father}
The wedding-garment, which all must have on who
enter there, must be washed in the Blood of the
Lamb — we must all be Martyrs, at least in heart, for
we have all to triumph over self, and that is the
harshest of tyrants.

Fly to the assistance of the Martyrs who, in dis-
tant countries, are dying for the true Faith ; obtain
for them such courage, that they may be the Vin-
cents of our age. Protect Spain, thy country.
Beseech our Emmanuel to send her heroes of thy
stamp ; that so, the Catholic Kingdom, which has
ever been so jealous of purity of Faith, may speedily
triumph over the trials, which are at present heavy
upon her. Shall the ill ustrious Church of Saragossa —
founded by St. James the Apostle, visited by the
Blessed Mother of God, and sanctified by the
ministry of thy deaconship — shall such a country
as this ever grow indifferent about Faith, or suffer
the bond of unity to be broken ! — And since the
devotion of the Christian people looks upon thee as
the protector of the Vine, bless this portion of
creation, which God has destined for man's use, and
which he has deigned to make both the instrument
of the deepest of his Mysteries, and the symbol of
his love of mankind.

SAINT ANASTASIUS, MARTYR,

On this same 22nd of January, the Church
honours the memory of the holy Persian Monk,
Anastasius, who suffered Martyrdom in the year 628.

1 St. Matth. xxvi. 29.

JAN. 22. SS. VINCENT AND ANASTASIUS. 401

Chosroes, having made himself master of Jerusalem,
had carried with him, into Persia, the Wood of the
True Cross, which was afterwards recovered by
Heraclius. The sight of this Holy Wood excited in
the heart of Anastasius, who was then a Pagan, the
desire of knowing the Religion, of which it is the
trophy.' He renounced the Persian superstitions, in
order to become a Christian, and a Monk. This,
together with the neophyte's zeal, excited the Pagans
against him ; and, after enduring frightful tortures,
the Soldier of Christ was beheaded. His body was
taken to Constantinople, and thence to Rome, where
it is still honoured. Two celebrated Churches of
Rome, one in the City itself, and the other outside
the walls, are dedicated in common to St. Yincent
and St. Anastasius, because these two great Martyrs
suffered on the same day of the year, though in
different centuries. This is the motive of the
Church's uniting their two Feasts into one. Let us
pray to this new champion of the Faith, that he
intercede for us to the Saviour, whose Cross was so
dear to him.

We add the short Lesson upon St. Anastasius,
which occurs immediately after those of St. Vincent.

Anastasius, a Persian by Anastasius, Persa, mona-

birth, had embraced the mo- elms, Heraclio imperatore,

nastic life, during the reign of cum sanctam Jerosolymo-

Heraclius. After visiting the rum terram visitasset, ad

Holy Places, in Jerusalem, he Caesaream Palsestinae pro

courageously endured, at Christi religione vincula et

Csesarea in Palestine, both verbera constanter perpes-

imprisonment and scourgings sus est. Mox a Persis ob

for the faith of Christ. Not eamdem causam, variis

long after, the Persians put cruciatibus affectus, a rege

him to several kinds of torture Chosroa, una cum septua-

for the same reason. King ginta aliis Christianis, se-

Chosroes, at last, ordered him curi percutitur. Cujus reli-

to be beheaded, together with quiae primum Jerosoly-

seventy other Christians. His mam, ad monasterium, in

relics were, at first, carried to quo monasticam vitam pro-

(2) 2D

402

CHRISTMAS.

f essus erat, deinde Eomam
delatae, collocatae sunt in
monasterio ad Aquas Sal-
vias.

Jerusalem, to the Monastery,
where he had professed the
monastic life ; afterwards,
they were translated to Rome,
and were deposited in the
monastery near the Salvian
Waters.

Let us now address ourselves to both these holy
Martyrs, using the prayer of their Feast.

Ant. Istorum est enim
regnum coelorum qui con-
tempserunt vitam mundi,
et pervenerunt ad prsemia
regni, et laverunt stolas
suas in sanguine Agni.

]t. Laetamini in Domino,
et exsultate justi.

1$. Et gloriamini omnes
recti corde.

Ant. For of such is the
kingdom of heaven ; they
despised the life of the world,
and attained to the rewards of
the kingdom, and washed
their robes in the Blood of
the Lamb.

% Be glad in the Lord, and
rejoice, ye just.

1$. And glory, all ye right
of heart.

OEEMUS.

Adesto, Domine, suppli-
cationibus nostris, ut qui ex
iniquitate nostra reos nos
esse cognoscimus, beato-
rum Martyrum tuorum
Vincentii et Anastasii inter-
cessione liberemur. Per
Christum Dominum nos-
trum. Amen.

LET US PRAY.

Rear, O Lord, our earnest
prayers, that we who are
sensible of the guilt of our
crimes, may be delivered
therefrom by the prayers of
thy blessed Martyrs Vincent
and Anastasius. Through
Christ our Lord. Amen.

JAN. 23. ST. KAYMUND OF PEGNAFORT, 403

January 23.
ST. RAYMUND OF PEGNAFORT, ]

CONFESSOR.

The glorious choir of Martyrs, that stands round
our Emmanuel, till the day of his Presentation in the
Temple, opens its ranks, from time to time, to give
admission to the Confessors, whom divine Providence
has willed should grace the Cycle, during this sacred
season. The Martyrs surpass all the other Saints in
number; but, still, the Confessors are well repre-
sented. After Hilary, Paul, Maurus, and Antony,
comes Raymund of Pegnafort, one of the glories of
the Order of St. Dominic and of the Church, in the
13th century.

According to the saying of the Prophets, the
Messias is come to be our Lawgiver ; nay, he is him-
self our Law. His words are to be the rule of man-
kind ; he will leave with his Church the power of
legislation, to the end that she may guide men in holi-
ness and justice, in all ages. As it is his Truth that
presides over the teaching of the Faith, so is it his
Wisdom that regulates Canonical Discipline. But
the Church, in the compilation and arrangement of
her laws, engages the services of men, whom she
judges to be the most competent for the work, by
their knowledge of Canon Law and the holiness of
their lives.

St. Raymund has the honour of having been in-
trusted to draw up the Church's Code of Canon Law.
It was he who, in the year 1234, compiled, by order of

404 CHRISTMAS.

Pope Gregory the Ninth, the five Books of the Decre-
tals ; and his name will ever be associated with this
great work, which forms the basis of the actual dis-
cipline of the Church.

Rayinund was a faithful disciple of that God, who
came down from heaven to save sinners, by calling
them to receive pardon. He has merited the beau-
tiful title, conferred on him by the Church, of ex-
cellent Minister of the Sacrament of Penance. He
was the first who collected together, into one body of
doctrine, the maxims of christian morality, which
regulate the duties of the confessor with regard to the
Faithful, who confess their sins to him. The Sum of
Penitential Cases opened the series of those impor-
tant Treatises, in which learned and holy men have
carefully considered the claims of law and the obli-
gations of man, in order to instruct the Priest how to
pass judgment, as the Scripture says, between leprosy
and leprosy}

In fine, when the glorious Mother of God, who is
also the Mother of men, raised up, for the Redemption
of Captives, the generous Peter Nolasco — whom we
shall meet, a few days hence, at the Crib of our
Redeemer — Rayrnund was an important instrument
in this great work of mercy ; and it is with good
reason, that the Order of Mercy looks upon him as
one of its Founders, and that so many thousand
captives, who were ransomed by the Religious of that
Order from the captivity of the Moors, have honoured
him as one of the principal authors of their liberty.

Let us now read the account of the actions of this
holy man, whose life was indeed a full one, and rich
in merit. The Lessons of his Feast thus abridge his
history.

Beatns Raymundus Bar- The blessed Rayrnund was
cinonensis, ex nobili fami- born at Barcelona, of the noble
ha de Pennaf ort, christianae family of Pegnafort. Having

1 Deut. xvii. 8.

JAN. 23. ST. RAYMUND OF PEGNAFORT. 405

been imbued with the rudi-
ments of the christian faith,
the admirable gifts he had re-
ceived, both of mind and body,
were such, that even when
quite a boy, he seemed to pro-
mise great things in his after
life. While still young, he
taught humanities in Barce-
lona. Later on, he went to
Bologna, where he applied him-
self with much diligence to the
exercises of a virtuous life, and
to the study of canon and civil
law. He there received the
Doctor's cap, and interpreted
the sacred canons so ably, that
he was the admiration of his
hearers. The holiness of his
life becoming known far and
wide, Berengarius, the Bishop
of Barcelona, when returning
to his diocese from Rome, took
Bologna in his way, in order
to see him; and, after most
earnest entreaties, induced
Raymund to accompany him
to Barcelona. He was, shortly
after, made Canon and Provost
of that Church, and became a
model, to the clergy and peo-
ple, by his uprightness, mo-
desty, learning, and meekness.
His tender devotion to the
Holy Mother of God was ex-
traordinary, and he never neg-
lected an opportunity of zea-
lously promoting the devotion
and honour which are due to
her.

When he was about forty-
five years of age, he made his
solemn profession in the Order
of the Friars Preachers. He
then, as a soldier but just
entered into service, devoted
himself to the exercise of every

religionis rudimentis imbu-
tus, adhuc parvulus, eximia
animi et corporis indole
magnum aliquid portendere
visus est. Nam adolescens
humaniores litteras in patria
professus. Bononiam se
contulit, ubi pietatis officiis?
ac Pontificio, civilique juri
sedulo incumbens, et Doc-
toris laurea insignitus, ibi-
dem sacros canones magna
cum hominum admiratione
est interpretatus. Ejusvir-
tutumfama percrebrescente,
Berengarius Barcinonensis
Episcopus, cum Roma suam
ad Ecclesiam rediret, eum
conveniendi causa Bono-
niam iter instituit, et tan-
dem summis precibus, ut
secum in patriam reverte-
retur, obtinuit. Mox ejus-
dem Ecclesiae Canonicatu,
et Prsepositura ornatus, uni-
verso clero, et populo, inte-
gritate, modestia, doctrina,
et morum suavitate prseful-
sit, ac Deiparae Virginis,
quam singulari pietatis
affectu venerabatur, hono-
rem, et cultum semper pro
viribus auxit.

Annum circiter quintum
supra quadragesimum agens,
in Ordine Fratrum Prsedi-
catorum solemni emissa pro-
fession, ut novus miles, in
omni virtutum genere, sed
praecipue in charitate erga

406

CHEISTMAS.

egenos, et maxime captivos
ab infidelibus detentos se
exercuit. Unde cum ejus
hortatu sanctus Petrus No-
lascus (cujus ipse confessio-
nes audiebat) suas opes piis-
simo huic operi conferret,
turn eidem, turn beato Ray-
mundo, et Jacobo Prinio
Arragonise Regi apparens
beatissima Virgo, gratissi-
mum sibi, et unigenito Filio
suo fore dixit, si in suum
honorem institueretur Ordo
Religiosorum, quibus cap-
tivos ex infidelium tyran-
nide liberandi cura incum-
beret. Quare collatis inter
se consiliis, Ordinem beatse
Mariae de Mercede Redemp-
tionis captivorum fundave-
runt : cui beatus Rayrnun-
dus certas vivendi leges prse-
scripsit ad ejusdem Ordinis
vocationem accomniodatis-
simas : quarum approbatio-
nem aliquot post annos a
Gregorio Nono impetravit,
et dictum sanctum Petrum
primum Generalem Ordinis
Magistrum suis ipse mani-
bus habitu eodem indutum
creavit.

Ab eodem Gregorio Ro-
mam accersitus, et Capel-
lani, ac Pcenitentiarii, et
CoDfessarii sui munere de-
coratus, ejusdem jussu, Ro-
manorum Pontificum De-
creta, in diversis Conciliis
et Epistolis sparsa, in unum
Decretalium volumen rede-
git. Archiepiscopatum Tar-
raconensem ab ipso Ponti-
lice sibi oblatum constan-

virtue, but, above all, to cha-
rity to the poor, and this
mainly to the captives, who
had been taken by the infidels.
It was by his exhortation, that
St. Peter Nolasco (who was
his penitent) was induced to
devote all his riches to this
work of most meritorious cha-
rity. The Blessed Virgin ap-
peared to Peter, as also to
blessed Raymund and to James
the First, King of Arragon, tell-
ing them, that it would be ex-
ceedingly pleasing to herself
and her divine Child, if an
Order of Religious men were
instituted, whose mission it
should be to deliver captives
from the tyranny of infidels.
Whereupon, after deliberating
together, they founded the
Order of our Lady of Mercy
for the Ransom of Captives ;
and blessed Raymund drew up
certain rules of life, which
were admirably adapted to the
spirit and vocation of the said
Order. Some years after, he
obtained their approbation
from Gregory the Ninth, and
made St. Peter Nolasco, to
whom he gave the habit with
his own hands, first General
of the Order.

Raymund was called to
Rome by the same Pope, who
appointed him to be his Chap-
lain, Penitentiary, and Con-
fessor. It was by Gregory's
order, that he collected to-
gether, in the volume called
the Decretals, the Decrees of
the Roman Pontiffs, which
were to be found separately in
the various Councils and Let-
ters. He was most resolute in

■

JAN. 23. ST. KAYMTJND OF PEGNAFORT. 407

refusing the Archbishopric of
Tarragon, which the same
Pontiff offered to him, and, of
his own accord, resigned the
Generalship of the Dominican
Order, which office he had dis-
charged, in a most holy man-
ner, for the space of two years.
He persuaded James, the King
of Arragon, to establish in his
dominions the Holy-Office of
the Inquisition. He worked
many miracles ; among which
is that most celebrated one of
his having, when returning to
Barcelona from the island of
Majorca, spread his cloak
upon the sea, and sailed upon
it, in the space of six hours,
the distance of a hundred and
sixty miles, and having reached
his convent, he entered it
through the closed doors. At
length, when he had almost
reached the hundredth year of
his age, and was full of virtue
and merit, he slept in the Lord,
in the year of the Incarnation
1275. He was canonised by
Pope Clement the Eighth.

tissime recusavit : et totius
Ordinis Praedicatorum ge-
nerale Magisterium, quod
per biennium sanctissime
administraverat, sponte di-
misit. Jacobo Arragonise
Regi sacrae Inquisitionis Of-
ficii suis in regnis institu-
endi auctor fuit. Multa pa-
travit miracula : inter quae
illud clarissimum, quod ex
insula Baleari Majori Bar-
cinonem reversurus, stra-
to super aquas pallio, centum
sexaginta milliaria sex horis
confecerit, et suum cceno-
bium januis clausis fuerit
ingressus. Tandem prope
centenarius, virtutibus, et
meritis cumulatus obdorma-
vit in Domino, anno salutis
millesimo ducentesimo sep-
tuagesimo quinto, quern Cle-
mens Octavus in Sancto-
rum numerum retulit.

We take the following Hymn from the Dominican
Breviary.

HYMN".

Prelates, Kings, and people
of the earth ! celebrate the
glorious name of Raymund,
to whom the salvation of all
mankind was an object of
loving care.

His pure and spotless life
reflected all the marvels of the

Grande Raymundi cele-
brate nomen,
Praesules, Reges, populique

terras :
Cujus aeternse fuit universis
Cura salutis.
Quidquid est alta pietate
mirum

408

CHRISTMAS.

Exhibet purus, niveusque

morum :
Omne virtutum rutilare
cemis
Lumen in illo.
Sparsa Summorum mo-
nimenta Patrum
Colligit mira studiosus arte :
Quseque sunt prisci sacra
digna cedro
Dogmata juris.

Doctus infidum solidare
pontum,
Currit invectus stadio pa-

tenti :
Veste componens, baculo-
que cymbam,
iEquora calcat.
Da, Deus, nobis sine labe
mores,
Da vitae tutum sine clade

cursum :
Da perennalis sine fine vitae
Tangere portum.
Amen.

mystic life ; and the light of
every virtue shines brightly
forth in him.

With admirable study and
research, he collects together
the scattered Decrees of the
Sovereign Pontiffs, and all the
sacred maxims of the ancient
Canons, so worthy to be hand-
ed down to all ages.

He bids the treacherous sea
be firm, and on her open
waters carry him to land ; he
spreads his mantle, and his
staff the mast, he rides upon
the waves.

Grant us, 0 Lord, to tra-
verse through the sea of life
with innocence and safety, and
reach at length the port of life
eternal. Amen.

Faithful dispenser of the Mystery of reconciliation !
it was from the Heart of an Incarnate God, that
thou didst draw the sweet charity, which made thee
the friend of the sinner. Thou didst love thy fellow-
men, and didst labour to supply all their wants,
whether of soul or body. Enlightened by the rays
of the Sun of Justice, thou hast taught us how to
discern between good and evil, by giving us those
rules whereby our wounds are judged and healed.
Borne was the admirer of thy knowledge of her laws,
and it is one of her glories that she received from
thy hand the sacred Code whereby she governs the
Churches of the world.

Excite in our hearts, 0 Raymund ! that sincere
compunction, which is the condition required of us

JAN. 23. ST. RAYMUND OF PEGNAFORT. 409

when we seek our pardon in the Sacrament of Pe-
nance. Make us understand both the grievousness of
mortal sin, which separates us from our God for all
eternity, and the dangers of venial sin, which disposes
the tepid soul to fall into mortal sin. Pray, that
there may abound in the Church men filled with
charity and learning, who may exercise that sublime
ministry of healing souls. Preserve them from the
two extremes, of rigorism which drives to despair,
and of laxity which natters into sloth. Revive
amongst them the study of the holy Canons, which
can alone keep disorder and anarchy from the fold
of Christ. Oh ! thou that hadst such tender love for
captives, console all that are pining now in exile or
in prison ; pray for their deliverance ; and pray that
we all may be set loose from the ties of sin, which
but too often make them, who boast of their outward
liberty, be slaves in their souls.

Thou wast the confidant of the Heart of Mary,
the Queen of Mercy, and she made thee share with
her in the work of the Redemption of Captives.
Thou hast great power with this Heart, which, after
the Heart of Jesus, is our hope. Pray for us to this
incomparable Mother of God, that we may have the
grace to love the Divine Child she holds in her arms.
May she be induced, by thy prayers, to be our Star
on the Sea of this world, more stormy far than that
which thou didst pass, when sailing on thy miracu-
lous bark.

Remember, too, thy dear Spain, where thou didst
pass thy saintly life. Her Church is in mourning,
because she has lost the Religious Orders which made
her so grand and so strong : pray that they may be
speedily restored to her, and assist her as of old.
Protect the Dominican Order, of whose Habit and
Rule thou wast so bright an ornament. Thou didst
govern it with great prudence, whilst on earth ; now
that thou art in heaven, be a father to it by thy love.

410 CHEISTMAS.

May it repair its losses. May it once more flourish
in the universal Church, and produce, as in former
days, those fruits of holiness and learning, which
made it one of the chief glories of the Church of
God.

COMMEMORATION OF SAINT EMERENTIANA.

Three days have scarcely passed since themartyrdom
of St. Agnes, when the Liturgy, so jealous of every
tradition, invites us to visit the Martyr's tomb. There
we shall find a young Virgin, named Emerentiana ;
she was the friend and foster-sister of our dear little
heroine, and has come to pray and weep at the spot,
where lies her loved one, so soon and so cruelly taken
from her. Emerentiana has not yet been regene-
rated in the waters of Baptism ; she is going through
the exercises of a Catechumen ; but her heart already
belongs, by faith and desire, to Jesus.

Whilst the young girl is pouring forth her grief
over the tomb of her much-loved Agnes, she is sur-
prised by the approach of some pagans ; they ridicule
her tears, and bid her pay no more of this sort of
honour to one who was their victim. Upon this, the
child, longing as she was to be with Christ, and to
be clasped in the embraces of her sweet Agnes, was
fired with holy courage — as well she might near such
a Martyr's tomb — and turning to the barbarians, she
confesses Christ Jesus, and curses the idols, and
upbraids them for their vile cruelty to the innocent
Saint who lay there.

This was more than enough to rouse the savage
nature of men, who were slaves to the worship of
Satan ; and scarcely had the child spoken, when she
falls on the tomb, covered with the heavy stones
thrown on her by her murderers. Baptised in her
own blood, Emerentiana leaves her bleeding corpse

JAN. 23. ST. EAYMUND OF PEGNAFORT, 411

upon the earth, and her soul flies to the bosom of her
God, where she is to enjoy, for ever, union with him,
in the dear company of Agnes.

Let us unite with the Church, which so devoutly
honours these touching incidents of her own history.
Let us ask Emerentiana to pray that we may have
the grace to be united with Jesus and Agnes in
heaven ; and congratulate her on her own triumph,
by addressing her in the words of the holy Liturgy.

Ant. Come, O Spouse of
Christ, receive the crown,
which the Lord hath prepared
for thee for ever.

ft. Grace is poured abroad
in thy lips.

1$. Therefore hath God bless-
ed thee for ever.

Ant. Veni, Sponsa Chris-
ti, accipe coronam quam
tibi Domimis prseparavit in
seternum.

ft. Diffusa est gratia in
labiis tuis.

I£. Propterea benedixit te
Deus in aeternum.

LET US PRAY.

Let blessed Emerentiana,
thy Virgin and Martyr, O
Lord, sue for our pardon : who
by the purity of her life, and
profession of thy virtue, was
always pleasing to thee.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

OEEMUS.

Indulgentiam nobis, quae-
sumus, Domine, beata Eme-
rentiana Virgo et Martyr
imploret : quae tibi grata
semper exstitit, et merito
castitatis et tuae professione
virtutis. Per Christum Do-
minum nostrum. Amen.

412 CHRISTMAS.

THE SAME DAT.

SAINT ILDEPHONSUS,

BISHOP AND CONFESSOR.

The Gothic Church of Spain deputes, to-day, one of
her most glorious Prelates, to represent her at the
Crib of the Divine Babe, and to celebrate his ineffa-
ble Birth. The praise, which falls from Ildephonsus'
lips, seems, at our first hearing it, to have the
Mother's dear honour for its only theme ; but, how-
can we honour the Mother, without at the same time
proclaiming the praise of the Son, to whose Birth
she owes all her greatness ?

Among the glorious Pontiffs, who honoured the
noble episcopate of Spain, during the 7th and 8th
centuries — for example, Leander, Isidore, Fulgentius,
Braulio, Eugenius, Julian, Helladius — among them,
and in the foremost rank, stands Ildephonsus, with
his glory of having been the Doctor of the Virginity
of the Mother of God, just as Athanasius is the
Doctor of the Divinity of the Word, Basil the Doctor
of the Divinity of the Holy Ghost, and Augustine
the Doctor of Grace. The holy Bishop of Toledo has
treated the dogma of Mary's Yirginity in all its com-
pleteness. With profound learning and with fervid
eloquence, he proves, against the Jews, that Mary
conceived without losing her Virginity ; against the
followers of Jovinian, that she was a Virgin in her
Delivery ; against the disciples of Helvidius, that she
remained a Virgin, after she had given birth to her
Divine Son. Other holy Doctors had treated sepa-

JAN. 23. ST. ILDEPHONSUS.

413

rately on each of these sublime questions, before our
Saint : but he brought together all their teachings*
and merited that a Virgin- Martyr should rise from
her tomb to thank him for having defended the
honour of the Queen of Heaven. Nay, Mary herself,
with her own pure hand, clothed him with that mira-
culous Chasuble, which was an image of the robe of
light wherewith Ildephonsus shines now in heaven,
at the foot of Mary's Throne.

The Monastic Breviary gives us the following
Lessons, in the Office of our holy Bishop.

Ildephonsus was born at
Toledo, in Spain, of most
noble parents, whose names
were Stephen and Lucy. He
was brought up with great
care, and instructed in all the
liberal arts. His first master
was Eugenius, Bishop of Tole-
do, who, seeing him to be a
youth of very great promise,
sent him to Seville, that he
might be under the guidance
of Isidore, whose reputation
for learning was well known.
He lived with Isidore for
twelve years ; after which, be-
ing formed to piety, and im-
bued with sound doctrine, he
returned to Toledo, to Euge-
nius, who made him Arch-
deacon of that Church, on
account of his great virtues
and learning. Ildephonsus,
desiring to avoid the snares of
the world, embraced the mo-
nastic life, in the Monastery
of Agali, of the Order of Saint
Benedict, though his parents
endeavoured to divert him
from his holy resolution, by
every possible entreaty and
every sort of menace.

Ildefonsus, natione His-
panus, Toleti nobilissimis
Stephano et Lucia parenti-
bus ortus, omnique cura
nutritus, liberalibus disci-
plinis instructus est. Pri-
mum habuit prseceptorem
Eugenium Toletanum an-
tistitem, a quo ob prsecla-
ram indolem, Hispalim ad
Isidorum, magna tunc eru-
ditione pollentem, missus
est. Apud quern duodecim
annos commoratus, tandem
fruge_ bona, doctrinaque
sana imbutus, Toletum re-
meavit ad Eugenium : a
quo, propter eximias virtu-
tes, peritiamque non vul-
garem, Ecclesias Toletanse
Archidiaconus effectus,

mundi cupiens laqueos de-
clinare, in Agaliensi mo-
nasterio Ordinis sancti Be-
nedicti, monasticum insti-
tutum amplexus est, frustra
parentibus precibus et minis
omnia tentantibus ut eum a
sancto proposito revocarent.

414

CHRISTMAS.

MonacM non multo post
in defuncti Abbatis locum
eum subrogarunt ; suspicie-
bant siquidem in eo, prseter
virtutes reliquas, sequita-
tem, morum facilitatem,
prudentiam, et admirabilem
sanctitatem. Tantus itaque
fulgor, tanta verse pietatis
lux, quod ipse thnebat, la-
tere non potuit. Eugenio
namque vita functo, cleri,
senatus, totiusque populi
decreto, Toletanus Archi-
episcopus electus est. In qua
dignitate, quantum populo
sibi commisso, verbo, etex-
emplo profuerit, quae mira-
cula ediderit, quam multis
f uerit nominibus de Virgine
matre benemeritus, non po-
test paucis explicari. Cce-
nobium virginum in Deil-
fensi villula sedificavit, ac
magnis muneribus auxit.
Hsereticos quosdam, qui in
Hispania hseresim Helvidia-
nam, tollentem perpetuam
Maria3 Dei Genitricis virgi-
nitatem disseminabant doc-
tissime confutavit, et ab
Hispania ej ecit. Ej us autem
hac de re disputatio, libro
quern scrip sit de beatse Ma-
rise virginitate continetur :
ipsa miraculo servi sui ze-
lum confirmante. Cum
enim Ildefonsus ad preces
matutinas Expectationis
beatae Mariae in Ecclesiam
nocte descenderet, comites
ejus in Ecclesise limine, ful-
gore quodam repentino de-
territi retrocesserunt : ille
vero intrepidus ad aram pro-
gressus, Virginem ipsam
vidit et adoravit, ab eadem-

The Abbot of the monastery
dying not long after, the
monks elected Ildephonsus as
his successor ; for they had
observed in him, amongst his
other virtues, a love of equity,
affability of manner, prudence,
and admirable piety. It was
not possible, though the Saint
had hoped it, that so much
merit, and such resplendent
virtues, should lie long con-
cealed : and therefore, on the
death of Eugenius, he was
elected Archbishop of Toledo,
by the wish of the clergy,
senate, and the whole people.
It would take too long a time
to tell how much he did, in
this his new post of honour,
both by word and example, to
the people committed to his
care — and how many miracles
he wrought— and in how many
ways he merited at the hands
of the Virgin Mother of God.
He built a Monastery for vir-
gins at a place called Deilfa,
and richly endowed it. He
most ably refuted, and drove
out of Spain, certain heretics,
who were disseminating the
heresy of Helvidius, which
denied the perpetual Virginity
of Mary, the Mother of God.
His controversy on this sub-
ject is contained in the Book
he wrote on the Virginity of
our Lady; and she herself
rewarded the zeal of her ser-
vant by a miracle. Ildephon-
sus having gone down, during
the night, to assist at Matins
for the Feast of our Lady's
Expectation, they who accom-
panied him, had no sooner
reached the threshold of the

JAN. 23. ST. ILDEPHONSUS.

415

Church, than they beheld a
dazzling light inside, at which
they were seized with fear, and
withdrew. The Saint fear-
lessly entered and advanced
to the altar, where he beheld
the Blessed Virgin ; he fell on
his knees before her, and re-
ceived from her a vestment, in
which to offer up the Holy
Sacrifice.

On another occasion, when
the Clergy and a great con-
course of people were assem-
bled for the feast of St. Leo-
cadia, and Hdephonsus was
kneeling at the Saint's tomb,
praying — the tomb suddenly
opened, and St. Leocadia
came forth. She then spoke
of the great things done by
Hdephonsus in honour of the
Mother of God, and said, in
the presence and hearing of
the whole assembly : "O Hde-
"phonsus ! our Lady, the
" Queen of heaven, has gained
"a triumph through thee."
As she was retreating from
the spot, Hdephonsus seized
the sword of King Receswind,
who happened to be there,
and cut off a portion of the
veil, which Leocadia wore on
her head. He, with much
solemnity and ceremony,
placed both it and the King's
sword in the treasury of the
Church, where they are kept
to this day.

He has left several eloquent
writings, some of which he
never finished, owing to the
many troubles and occupa-
tions, which engrossed his
time. He at length made a
happy death, after being

que vestem, qua in Sacrifi-
ces uteretur, accepit.

Cum etiam dies Leoca-
diae festus ageretur, et Cle-
rus frequensque populus
convenisset, Ildefonsus ad
sepulchrum Virginis acce-
dens, flexit genibus orabat ;
et ecce reserato repente sar-
cophago, Leocadia sanctis-
sima prodiit ; videntibus-
que cunctis, et audientibus,
Ildefonsi merita de Virgine
Maria commendavit, di-
cens : O Ildefonse, per te
vivit Domina mea, quae
cceli cu]mina tenet. Ilia
vero recedente, Ildefonsus,
arrepto Recesvinthi, qui
forte tunc aderat, gladiolo,
velaminis partem, quo ca-
put Leocadiae tegebatur,
resecuit, eamque cum re-
gio simul cultro celebri
pompa in sacrarium intulit,
ubi usque hodie servatur.

Scripsit multa luculen-
tiori sermone, sed variis
molestiarum occupationi-
bus impeditus, aliqua im-
perfecta reliquit. Obiit tan-
dem feliciter, cum sedisset
in Episcopatu annos novem

416 CHEISTMAS.

menses duos ; sepultusque Bishop nine years and two

est in Basilica Leocadiae, months ; and was buried in

circa annum Domini sex- the Bas